iiiMmm^i« 


ISSION 
GYPT   ^^ 


Andrew  Watson,  I).  D. 


The 


American  Mission 
IN  Egypt. 


18^4  to  1896. 


BY 

ANDREW  'wATSON,  D.  D. 


PITTSBURGH: 
UNITED  PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION, 

53  and  55  Ninth  Street, 


Entered   according  to   Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year   1897,  by 

The  United  Presbyterian  Board  of  Pubijcation, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


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PREFACE. 

The  General  Assembly  at  its  meeting  in  May,  1889, 
adopted  the  following  resolution  : 

"  That  the  Rev.  Andrew  Watson,  D.  D.,  be  requested  to 
undertake  the  preparation  of  a  history  of  our  Egyptian  Mission, 
and  that,  when  the  same  shall  be  prepared,  the  Board  of  Publi- 
cation is  duly  directed  to  publish  it." 

On  reading  this  Resolution  in  the  Minutes  of  the  General 
Assembly,  my  first  impulse  was  to  inform  the  subsequent 
Assembly  that  I  must  decline  to  accede  to  the  request ;  prefer- 
ring in  an  humble  way  to  make  history  rather  than  to  write  it. 
This  purpose  continued  with  me  until  near  the  time  for  the 
meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1890,  when  some  of  my 
acquaintances  in  the  ministry  in  America,  where  I  was  at  the 
time  on  furlough,  and  some  members  of  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  dissuaded  me  from  carrying  it  out,  and  urged  me  to 
undertake  the  work  contemplated  in  the  resolution.  Late  in  the 
year  1890  I  returned  to  Egypt,  and  for  seven  months  was  fully 
occupied  in  the  Theological  Seminary  and  other  Mission  work, 
so  that  I  found  no  time  to  do  anything  more  than  to  begin  to 
gather  material.  Mrs.  Barnett  kindly  lent  me  the  daily  jottings 
of  Dr.  Barnett  and  the  copies  of  his  letters  written  during  the 
period  from  1855  to  1859.  Dr.  McCague  also  supplied  me  with 
a  few  items.  Mrs.  Hogg  also  put  into  my  hands  the  journals 
and  copies  of  letters  belonging  to  her  husband,  as  well  as  part 


of  a  memoir  which  she  had  begun  to  prepare  at  the  request  of 
the  Missionary  Association  in  Egypt ;  to  which  I  am  indebted 
for  many  pages  of  this  history.  I  also  received  from  my 
colleague,  Dr.  Lansing,  valuable  letters  ;  and  after  his  death, 
his  son.  Dr.  J.  McC.  Lansing,  gave  me  other  documents  whicli 
were  found  among  his  father's  papers. 

I  have  made  use  of  valuable  matter  taken  from  Hughes' 
Dictionary  of  Islam,  Paton's  History  of  the  Egyptian  Revolu- 
tion, and  Khedives  and  Pashas,  the  American  Encyclopedia  and 
other  books. 

Rev.  J.  R.  Alexander,  D.  D.,  kindly  furnished  me  with 
various  Mission  Reports  and  other  papers  connected  with  earlier 
efforts  to  bring  the  Gospel  to  Egypt.  I  am  also  under  great 
obligations  to  my  colleague,  the  Rev.  W.  Harvey,  D.  D.,  for 
reading  the  whole  manuscript  and  giving  me  valuable  aid. 

It  was  not  until  the  vacation  of  1893  that  I  was  able  to 
make  a  beginning  of  the  work  of  writing  during  the  montii  I 
spent  in  Ramleh.  The  following  year  the  Mission  allowed  me 
to  go  to  a  cooler  climate  for  a  few  months  and  thus  I  was  able 
to  make  considerable  progress.  Little,  however,  was  added 
during  the  brief  vacation  of  1895.  The  past  summer,  however, 
I  spent  about  four  months  with  slight  interruptions  at  the 
History  and  brought  it  down  to  the  end  of  1894 — the  copying 
being  done  mostly  by  my  wife,  in  the  course  of  which  she  was 
often  able  to  make  important  suggestions.  It  is  due  to  her  to 
say  that  without  her  stimulus  and  aid  I  doubt  if  the  work  had 
ever  been  finished. 

The  reader  will  notice  that  I  have  kept  very  closely  to  the 
duty  imposed  on  me  by  the  General  Assembly,  viz.:  to  prepare 
a  "  History  of  our  Egyptian  Mission."  I  have  avoided  almost 
every  other  subject  connected  with  Egypt,  however  interesting 
it  might  be  to  the  reader.  Besides,  so  much  has  been  written 
about  this  interesting  country,  its  ruins,  its  climate,  its  products, 


etc.,  and  so  much  is  known  about  them  that  there  seemed  to  be 
no  necessity  to  write  concerning  them  for  the  information 
of  my  readers. 

I  wish  to  add,  before  concluding  these  preliminary  remarks, 
that  I  make  no  pretension  to  literary  merit.  I  have  never 
written  a  book,  and  perhaps  ought  not  to  have  written  this. 
My  excuse,  however,  is  that  others  have  urged  me  to  do  so, 
and  in  compliance  with  their  persistent  request,  and  that  of  the 
General  Assembly,  1  have  done  the  work.  It  has  been  my 
sole  aim  to  give  a  true  history  of  the  work  of  the  Lord  in 
Egypt  as  carried  on  by  the  missionaries  and  agents  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America,  not  for  the 
praise  of  men  but  for  the  glory  of  God  ;  while  it  is  my  earnest 
prayer  that  the  book  may  be  blessed  as  a  means  of  increas- 
ing the  interest  of  God's  people  in  the  spread  of  the  Gospel, 
and  the  salvation  of  souls  in  the  Nile  valley  in  which  my  lot 
has  been  cast  for  the  past  thirty-six  years.  None  will  so  readily 
notice  mistakes  and  omissions  as  my  co-laborers.  Whenever 
either  has  been  made  it  has  been  done  unintentionally,  and 
therefore  may  I  not  look  for  that  charity  that  covers  a  multi- 
tude of  sins  ? 

ANDREW  Watson. 

Cairo,  February  15,  1897. 


Regulations  for  Pronouncing  Proper  Names. 


1.  The  vowels  are  pronounced  generally  as  in  Italian. 

2.  Every  letter  is  sounded. 

3.  A  vowel  followed  by  two  consonants  is  short. 

4.  Consonants  are  pronounced  as  in  English. 

5.  S  is  always  as  s  in  this,  and  g  is  always  hard. 

6.  The  accent  is  always  on  the  long  vowel.     Where  there  is 

no  long  vowel  the  accent  is  on  the  first  syllable,  or  on 
the  closed  syllable  nearest  the  last. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.     p.  H 

Introduction  of  Christianity  into  Egypt— Its  extension  up  the  Nile  valley- 
Persecutions  under  Diocletian — The  Egyptian  Church  and  its  leaders— the 
Royalists  and  the  Jacobites— The  introduction  of  Islam— The  persecution  of  the 
Christians  by  the  Muslims— The  domination  of  Islam  and  gradual  decline  of 
Christianity— Destruction  of  Christian  Churches  and  cruel  treatment  of  Chris- 
tians—The sad  condition  of  the  Coptic  Church,  and  its  need  of  spiritual  enlight- 
enment and  evangelical  truth. 

CHAPTER  II.     p.  \<{ 

Various  attempts  in  modern  times  to  preach  a  pure  Gospel  in  Egypt — and  to 
secure  a  friendly  intercourse  with  the  Christians  of  the  Nile  valley  from  1752- 
1854 — The  Moravians — The  Church  Mission  Society  Missionaries,  and  others. 

CHAPTER  III.    p.  3S- 

Condition  of  Egypt  at  the  time  our  Mission  began  in  1854 — Government — 
Society — Muhammadans— Copts — Jews — Morals — Slavery. 


CHAPTER  IV.     f'^^ 


Establishing  of  our  Mission— Circumstances  leading  thereto — When  and  by 
whom, 

CHAPTER  V.      p.lx 

From  the  beginning  of  the  Mission  up  to  December  31,  1857. — Mr.  Leider,  of 
the  Church  Missionary  Society,  still  in  Cairo— His  chief  work— Mr.  Lawrie,  mis- 
sionary to  the  Jews — House  secured  by  Messrs.  Barnett  and  McCague — English 
service  and  Arabic  also  commenced — Also  prayer  meetings — Missionaries  visiting 
places  and  persons — Cholera  in  1855 — Mr.  Barnett's  prayer — Rebellion  in  upper 
Egypt — Crimean  War — Assassination  of  Abbas  Pasha — Opening  of  Boys'  School 
— Disappointments— Mr.  McCague  ill— Mr.  Barnett  in  Syria,  18^6— Arrival  of 
Mr.  Lansing — Determination  to  occupy  Alexandria— Description  of  a  Sirocco- 
Messrs.  Lansing  and  McCague  go  up  the  Nile  to  Asvut — Visit  the  Faivum — 
Death  of  Mr.  McCague's  child— Messrs.  Lansing  and  McCague  go  to  Syria.  1857 
— Work  opened  in  Haret-es-Sakkain  harbor — Mr.  Lansing  takes  up  his  "residence 
in  Alexandria  on  Ras-el-Tin — Other  Mission  efforts  in  Alexandria — Bovs'  School 
and  Mr.  Hogg— Girls'  School  and  Miss  Pringle— Proposals  for  united  effort. 

5 


CHAPTER  VI.  p.<^7 

i8!;8  to  De:emlx?r  31,  i860— Transfer  of  Girls'  School.  Alexandria,  to  our 
mission— A\r.  Ho«k  ill.  visits  Cairo,  and  then  in  company  with  A\r.  Lansing 
visits  Jerusalem— Sabbath  schools  commenced  in  Alexandria— Evening  meetings 
in  Haret-es-Sakkain,  Cairo— Saiih  Awad— A\r.  A\artin  leaves  for  America— F-ather 
A\akhiel  and  acopv  of  the  Bible— Sickness  in  i8;8— Times  of  fear  and  trembling 
—Sickness  in  i8>9— A\r.  McCague  goes  to  Tunis— A\r.  Lansing  to  Sinai— Mr. 
Hogg  leaves  for  Scotland— Hovs'  School  in  Alexandria  under  A\r.  Lansing's  care 
—Bible  depots  opened  in  Alexandria  and  Cairo— Dr.  Abbat  dies— Dr.  Paterson 
goes  to  Cairo— First  communion  in  Arabic— 1860— A\r.  John  Hogg  appointed 
missionarv,  marries,  and  is  shipwrecked  in  Bav  of  Biscay  and  loses  all— Refur- 
nished in'Scotland  and  comes  in  bv  Paris— Organization  of  Presbyter\— A\r. 
Hogg  ordained— Refugees  in  Alexandria— Work  among  them— Visits  to  the  Arsenal 
—Work  among  the  English-speaking  community  in  Cairo— Bible  distribution. 

CHAPTER  Vll.    p.i^^ 

1861— Distribution  of  missionaries— Visitation  of  hospital  and  galleys  in 
Alexandria— SchiHil  work  and  preaching— New  school  for  girls  in  Cairo— A\r.  and 
A\rs.  A\cCague  leave  f"«r  Aiiurica- Also  A\r.  Barnett  six  months  later— Reducing 
the  forces  in  Cairo— Transfer  of  A\r.  and  .\\rs.  Lansing  and  Miss  Dales  to  Cairo 
in  theautumn— Trip  of  A\r.  Lansing  on  the  Nile— Lord  Aberdeen  and  Bible  dis- 
tribution—Faris-el-Hakim  in  Asvut— His  cruel  treatment  by  the  A\uslims— Their 
prompt  punishment— influence  on  mission  work— Arrival  of  the  writer  in 
Alexandria. 

CHAPTER  VUl.    ^.  /37 

,862 — Jewish  parents  in  Alexandria  alarmed  for  their  girls  and  open  a  school 
for  them  and  take  them  awav  from  our  school— A\r.  Hogg  in  Alexandria  half  the 
vear— Then  Father  A\akhiel— Sale  of  books— Premises  in  Cairo  presented  by  Said 
t>asha— Large  repairs  at  great  expense— Beneficial  effect  on  the  work— A\r. 
Hogg's  successful  trip  on  the  Nile— Interesting  discussions. 


CHAPTER  IX.     JO.  'VJ 

1863— Sickness  among  the  missionaries— Fears  of  A\uslim  uprising— Occur- 
rence in  Alexandria  and  summarv  punishment— I.  Gowdy's  imprisonment  for 
writing  against  Islam— Active  opposition  of  Coptic  hierarchy  on  the  election  of 
new  Patriarch — Overruled  for  good— Bad  times  on  account  of  American  war- 
Order  to  reduce  salaries  and  wages  one-fourth— Timely  aid  from  English  friends 
—Visit  of  Dr.  Dales'  partv— Organization  of  the  Cairo  congregation— Action  in 
regard  to  training  voung  men  for  Christian  work— Visit  of  A\r.  Lansing  to  Sitt 
Damienna  and  exposure  of  Coptic  visions— Sale  of  Scriptures— Conversion  of 
Bamba  and  her  associates— Evening  meetings  in  various  parts  of  the  city- 
Murrain  among  the  cattle. 

CHAPTER  X.     ^.  /t> 

1864— The  missionaries  on  the  ground  at  beginning  of  1864— Writer  alone  in 
Alexandria— Purchase  of  Alexandria  premises— Praver-meetings  in  the  Girls' 
SchcMil.  Cairo— Ifforts  of  the  Coptic  clergv  to  keep  girls  awav  from  our  schools— 
The  storv  of  Mamba's  courtship  and  marriage  with  his  highness.  Dhulup  Singh 
—His  gift  of  S^.ooo  and  promise  of  52.>oo  annuallv— Work  on  Nile  in  new  small 
boat— Tour  of  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Fwing  in  "Ibis"  to  Aswan— And  of  Mr.  Hogg  to 
Faiyum— Formal  opening  of  the  theological  .seminary. 


CHAPTER  XI.    p-'"^^ 


186=;— The  distribution  of  forces— Visit  of  the  Maharajah  and  the  Maharaneh— 
Sale  of  "  Ibis"  to  tlieni — Their  visit  to  Faiyum — Decision  to  open  new  station — 
Asyut  selected  and  Rev.  J.  Hogg  and  Miss  McKown  appointed — Reached  Asyut 
February  21,  lodged  with  Mr.  Wasif  Khayat— Mr.  Hogg  attends  Coptic  church, 
and  then  conducts  his  own  services — Muslim  saint  in  Gow — His  acts  of  violence 
—Great  danger  Speedy  retribution— Mr.  Hogg's  third  Sabbath  in  Asvut,  manv  at 
service,  some  moved  to  tears— School  opened  March  s— Opposition  begins— Sick- 
ness and  death  of  Mary  iJzzie  Hogg— Sickness  and  restoration  of  Hope— Terrible 
cholera  epidemic— Panic  in  Alexandria — Mrs.  Lansing  and  child  die  and  others — 
Dr.  Lansing  and  boys  go  to  Ramleh — Rev.S.  C.  Ewing  remains  in  Cairo  to  min- 
ister to  the  sick  and  mourning— Asyut  missionaries  go  north — Return  of  mis- 
sionaries to  their  stations — Arrangements  for  next  year— Reading  God's  Word  in 
the  homes — Arrival  of  new  missionaries,  and  return  of  others. 

CHAPTER  XII.    (3-^'^'^ 

Arrangements  for  1866 carried  out— Large  company  leaves  Cairo  on  "  Ibis"— 
Dr.  Lansing  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  leave  at  Zawiyah— Dr.  Barnett  and  wife 
and  Miss  A\cKown  at  Asyut — Writer  and  wife  go  up  to  Esna  and  return,  visiting 
places  and  selling  books — At  Girga  hear  of  death  of  A\rs.  Currie— Hurry  back  to 
Alexandria — Work  begun  in  Faiyum— Opening  of  schools— Dr.  Lansing  leaves 
and  Brother  Ewing  takes  his  place  April  i— Dr.  Barnett  leaves  Asvut  in  summer 
and  Mr.  Currie  takes  his  place — Dr.  Lansing  visits  Asyut — Mr.  Strang's  arrival 
from  America  to  take  charge  of  press — Marriage  of  Dr.  "Lansing  and  Miss  Dales, 
who  go  up  the  Nile  and  visit  the  stations— Work  at  Kus— Work  in  Alexandria. 


CHAPTER  XIII.      p-'*^^ 


1867— Distribution  of  forces — Return  of  Mr.  Hogg— Meeting  of  presbytery — 
Rev.  Messrs.  Ewing  and  Watson  go  to  America— Ordination  of  Makhiel  el- 
Belyani — Attempt  to  train  converted  monks— Theologues  at  Asyut— High-handed 
measures  of  persecution — Viceroy  and  patriarchate  unite  in  a  determination  to 
exterminate  Protestants  and  drive  out  of  Egypt  the  missionaries— Patriarch  at 
Abjiub— At  Asyut— Burning  of  books  and  Bibles — Threats — Bold  and  tyrannical 
action  at  Ekhmin— Efforts  to  intimidate  Protestants  at  Kus— Priest  Feltois  afraid 
of  Fam's  arguments — Persecution  in  Nakadah. 


CHAPTER  XIV.  p.  1.1^ 

Fam  Stephanos— His  character— Attempted  banishment— Deliverance  and 
return  home. 

CHAPTER  XV.   p.  3.3.5' 

Resumption  of  story  of  troubles  in  Asyut  school— Forced  labor  described — 
Pupils  in  schools  exempted — Dutv  of  seeing  exemption  carried  out  impartiallv — 
Case  against  the  sheikhs  of  Sahii  Salem— Boys  frightened,  except  Iskaros— iska- 
ros  plied  by  flattery  and  threats  in  turn— Stands  firm — Is  bastinadoed— Finally 
set  tree — Case  of  Bishetly  taken  up — Crooked  action  of  local  authorities — Con- 
sular interference  accomplished  little  in  the  case,  but  good  effect  in  the  future — 
Opposition  in  various  places — God's  Word  not  bound— Meetings  in  A\utiah — 
Work  in  Alexandria,  Faiyum,  Cairo— Great  credit  due  to  Dr.  Lansing. 


CHAPTER   XVI.     K-^^*^ 

1868— Staff  of  missionaries  anJ  tlu-ir  niDvements— Affairs  in  Kus— Spread  of 
the  truth— Sickness  uf  pastor-elect  -hears  and  forebodings— Encoura^inK  acces- 
sion— Dr.  Johnston  arrives  at  Asvut— Theological  class — Names  of  inquirers  at 
Asyut— Cause  of  their  fears— I'ower  of  the  priests— Dr.  Hokk's  exhortation  before 
leaving  for  Cairo— ••  The  Kus  Winnowing  Fan  "— A\eetings  in  Father  Paul's 
hou.se— The  Ixjy  Shenooda  Hanna.the  reader— His  advice— Meetings  at  house  of 
Athanasius— At  the  bishop's— Shenooda's  troubles  and  the  result  Large  meet- 
ing on  Dr.  Hogg's  return— H.\c<immunicati(ins— Counterblast  on  intemperance  pro- 
posed bv  Mr.  Hanna  Huktor— Attempt  to  read  it  in  Coptic  church— Altered  tactics 
of  the  Patriarch— Hanna  Buktor  and  others  make  open  profession— Case  of  the 
can>enters  and  the  marriage  ceremony— Clerical  plans  fru.strated— Visit  of  Metro- 
politan—Work in  places  near  Asvut— In  the  Faiyum— Cairo— Ale.xandria-Return 
of  Brothers  bwing  and  Watson  from  America. 

CHAPTER  XVll.  f,  It"^ 

1869— Mr.  Schlotthaur,  colporteur  evangelist— Changes  and  appointments  of 
missionaries— Rev.  S.  C.  Fwiiig  chosen  by  lot  pastor  in  Cairo— Writer  sent  to 
Monsurah— Character  of  people  there— Work  in  Cairo— Tragic  death  of  A\iss 
Hart— Intluence  on  the  work— Book  department— Work  in  Minya— In  As^ut— 
Encouraging  accession— Familv  persecution— Breaking  of  pictures  in  Coptic 
church— Great  excitement— Confession  and  imprisonment  of  the  perpetrators- 
Copts  rejoice— Unexpected  release— Re-imprisonment  and  banishment  to  Esna— 
Release  after  a  time— Beginning  to  build  a  church  at  Asyut— Change  of  Asyut 
market  dav— Visits  to  villages— Brother  Currie  in  Kus.  then  Iskaros— Rev.  B.  F. 
Pinkerton  becomes  a  Plvmouthite  and  spreads  his  views — Strange  actions — 
Anxiety  among  the  missionaries— Mr.  Finkerton's  views  spread— He  resigns  and 
goes  to  America— Dr.  Lansing  for  a  time  in  Alexandria— Press  and  Brother 
Strang  removed  to  Alexandria— Sickness  and  death  of  Brother  Currie— Grief  of 
the  brethren  in  Kus. 

CHAPTER  XVIU.     ^,  l^'l 

Januarv  1.  1870, to  January  i,  1875— Comparative  statistics— Missionaries, 
their  locations  and  movements— New  missionaries— Organization  of  Missionary 
Association— Necessary  for  abbreviation— Alexandria,  work,  accessions,  death  of 
Said— Monsurah,  work,  little  encouragement— Cairo,  work,  accessions,  defections 
—Sickness  in  Dr.  Barnett's  family  and  absence  in  Europe— Death  of  Elder  Salih 
and  others— Sale  of  old  premises  to  the  government,  characteristic  negotiations 
— Faivum,  work,  little  encouragement  in  A\eilinah— Headquarters  transferred  to 
Sinoris,  encouragements  and  opposition— .Asyut  church  erected,  dedication  ser- 
vices, organization  of  congregation— Nakheilah  congregation  organized,  and  pas- 
tor ordained  and  installed,  and  death  of  chief  member— Organization  of  A\utiah 
congregation,  members  working,  reasons  for  rapid  spread  of  Gospel— Kus.  visit 
of  Brother  Harvev  and  others,  brethren  prevented  by  government  from  meeting 
—Coptic  and  governmental  opposition  and  evidence  of  growth— Medical  depart- 
ment. 

CHAPTER   XIX.      p.   3  <''*• 

January  i.  i87>,  to  January  i.  1880— Comparative  statistics— A\is.sionaries 
and  stations — New  missionaries — Alexandria,  work,  accessions— .N\onsurah. work 
and  workers— Cairo.  Dr.  Lansing  pastor— Work  in  Ezbakiyah.  Haret-es-Sakkain 
and  Bulac— Accessions— Case  of  Ahmed  Fahmv,  conversion,  kidnapping— A\eans 


v-^""        ■••..u.i.        -  ^|v  .•!..>,    '■■     "     .....>    ,.i.»..  v..        .,v  ,  ...  .-.^    ■•.      -  ■ 

to  America— Election  of  pastor  in  Sinoris— Asvut.  unsatisfactorv-  state  of  congre- 
gation—Places occupied  in  the  neighborhood  and  work  done  by  zealous  mem- 
bers—The millwright— Work  in  UpperThebaid— Mr.  Harvev's  trip  on  "Ibis."  1877- 
78— His  visit  to  Kosair— Mr.  Giffen's  visit  to  same  with  ftev.  G.  Raphael— New 
pastorates— New  organizations,  etc. 


CHAPTER  XX.      f.^^"^ 


January  i,  187=;,  to  January  i,  1880,  finished— Appointment  of  secular  head  of 
Protestant  sect — Intolerance  and  persecution — Ojipiisiiiun  of  lioverniiient  and 
refusal  to  xrant  permission  to  erect  churches  in  Kus  and  Mutiah— Cruel  treat- 
ment of  Protestants  in  Najcada— No  redress— Dr.  Ho^Ji  in  Hui^land- Secures  the 
aid  of  the  H\anji;elical  Alliance — Successful  issue  of  tlie  cases  nf  A\utiah  and  Kus 
— Failure  of  Nagada  case — The  Khedive  Ishmaeland  his  deposition  and  departure 
— Accession  of  Muhammad  Tawtik. 

CHAPTER  XXI.      p.    i  3«][ 

January  i,  1880,  to  January  i,  188^ — Comparative  statistics — Location  of 
missionaries — New  missionaries — Death  of  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Giffen — Unsettled 
state  of  the  government — Exciting  times  in  Cairo — Massacre  and  pillage  in 
Ale.xandria — Stampede  of  foreigners — Missionaries  leave  Cairo  and  go  on  hoard 
U.  S.  frigate — All  leave  the  country  except  Dr.  Hwing  and  the  writer — Bomhard- 
meiit  of  Alexandria — Burning  of  part  of  the  citv — Gathering  of  British  troops — 
Sudden  change  of  base — Entrance  into  the  canal — Writer  ill  and  leaves  for  Italy 
-Returns  hy  first  boat — British  troops  victorious,  enter  Cainj — Grand  review 
—Joy  of  non-Muslims — Writer  visits  the  mission  stations  on  "Ibis" — Visit  of 
commissioners — Spread  of  Plymouthism — Removal  of  two  pastors — Nile  work  by 
Drs.  Lansing  and  Hogg— Deaths— New  organizations — New  pastorates — Move- 
ment among  A\uslims— The  cholera  in  1883. 


CHAPTER  XXll.     ^.^  ^1 


From  January  i,  1885,  to  January  1, 1890 — Comparative  statistics— Mission 
force — New  missionaries — Political  condition — Fanatical  manifestations — Sick- 
ness and  death  of  Rev.  Dr.  Hogg — Great  loss  to  the  mission — Departure  of  his 
wife  and  family  to  Scotland — Weakened  forces — Arrival  of  Rev.  G.  Anshalian  and 
installation  as  pastor  in  Kus— Other  pastorates  and  organizations — Accessions 
—Fruits — Nile  boat  work  by  Rev.  C.  Murch,  Rev.  J.  Giffen  and  Rev.  J.  K.  Giffen 
— English  services  in  Cairo^Mission  premises  in  Cairo  open  for  British  soldiers 
for  temperance  and  religious  meetings — Mrs.  S.  B.  Lansing's  sickness  and  death. 

CHAPTER  XXlll.      p.  '^^^ 

From  January  1. 1890,  to  January  1, 189=; — Comparative  statistics— .Missionary 
staff,  January  i.  1890,  and  location — Movements  of  missionaries  during  the 
period— New  missionaries — New  pastorates  and  new  installments — New  organi- 
zations—Work on  the  Nile  by  Rev.  J.  K.  Giffen.  Rev.  C.  A\urch,  Dr.  Harvey, 
Rev.  J.  O.  Ashenhurst,  Rev.  T.  J.  Finney — Interesting  spiritual  movement  at 
Nakheilah — Effect  of  mission  work  on  Coptic  sect — Special  efforts  at  reform  in 
the  period — Division  in  Coptic  sect— Banishment  and  return  of  the  Patriarch 
—Religious  newspaper  started— Medical  department— New  premises— Death  of 
Uncle  Fam— Death  of  Mrs.  W.  M.  Nichol— Death  of  Dr.  G.  Lansing,  his  character 
and  work— Death  of  Dr.  J.  B.  Dales — Departure  of  A\iss  A\cK()wn  — Her 
work — New  missionaries  in  189;  and  1896 — New  pastorates — New  organizations 
— These  years  remembered  in  connection  with  Turkish  atrocities  in  Armenia- 
Murder  of  Rev.  Girgis  Anshalian — Breaking  out  of  cholera  and  its  widespread 
ravages — Death  of  Rev.  IskarosMasud  and  A\rs.  Strang — Division  of  the  field 
into  six  districts— Statistics  on  January  i,  1897— Other  missions  in  Egypt. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


Ho^ 


Workers  and  converts— Division  of  workers— Presbyterial  workers— Pastors, 
their  work  and  character— Licentiates— Local  preachers— Theological  students- 
Wages  paid  to  each  class— Workers  under  Missit)nary  Association — Teacliers— 


SaK'-^men  in  bookshops— Colporteurs— Zenana  workers— Teachers  of  mission- 
aru>— Their  pay— Church  members- Gosjvl  preachcJ  to  all— Convert  .  nostiv 
from  Corts— Copts  need  the  Gospel— Character  of  church  memlHjrs— How  led  to 
conversion— Deep  conviction  of  sin  often  wanting— Manv  cases  of  marked  chan"e 
of  conduct— Interesting  examples. 

CHAPTER  XXV.      p-  ^2-^ 

Foreign  Missionaries— Their  position— Tlieir  work— Their  qualifications— The 
work  of  each  inissionar>-  on  the  field. 

CHAPTER  XXVI.     p. '^'^^ 

The  Book  Department— Its  agents  and  operations— The  Sabbath  School*—) 
Work  among  the  women. 

CHAPTER  XXVIl.     f'^'^'^ 

Educational— Parochial  schools— Mission  dav  schools— FJoarding  .school  at 
Asyut  and  Cairo— Asyut  training  college— Theological  seminary-. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII.     f  ^^^ 

Present  Political  Status  6f  Egypt— The  Khedive— Change  of  succession — 
Parties  claiming  political  power— Provinces— Ministry— British  control— Debt — 
Three  classes  of  courts— Agriculture — Taxation — Irrigation — Products — Exjx)rts 
—Imports— Education  —Railway  system— Telegraphs— Postoffice — Influence  of 
British  occupation. 


CHAPTER  XXIX.     y^^^ 


Special  friends  and  helpers— The  Ladies'  Society  of  Paislev.  Scotland— Stu- 
dents' United  Presbyterian  Seminary  at  Edinburgh— Maharajah  Dhuluj  Singh- 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Mackinnon— Turkish  Aid  Society— Ludwig  Muller,  Esq.— Dr. 
J.  S.  Grant  Bey  and  wife. 


lO 


The  American  Mission  in  Egypt. 


CHAPTER  I. 

fntroduction  of  Christianity  into  Egypt— Its  extension  up  the  Nile  vallev— 
Persecutions  under  Diocletian — Tne  Egyptian  Church  and  its  leaders — The 
Royalists  and  the  Jacobites — The  introduction  of  Islam — The  persecution  of 
the' Christians  by  the  Muslims — The  domination  of  Islam  and  gradual  decline 
of  Christianity — Destruction  of  Christian  Churches  and  cruel  treatment  of 
Christians — The  sad  condition  of  the  Coptic  Church,  and  its  need  of  spiritual 
enlightenment  and  evangelical  truth. 

The  Christian  religion  was  carried  to  E<j:ypt  only  a  few 
years  after  the  ascension  of  its  Founder.  The  contiguity  of 
Egypt  to  Palestine,  the  intimate  connection  between  the  Jew- 
ish portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  both  countries,  and  the  im- 
portant commercial  relations  existing  between  them,  facili- 
tated the  spread  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  to  the 
Nile  valley.  Nothing  is  said  in  the  New  Testament  about  the 
persons  who  first  related  the  story  of  the  Cross  in  Egypt. 
It  might  have  been  that  some  of  those  from  Egypt,  who  were 
present  in  Jerusalem  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  went  back  to 
Alexandria  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  told  the  wonders  of 
that  glorious  day  to  their  fellow-countrymen.  We  learn,  at 
least,  from  Acts  i8:  24,  that  a  certain  Jew,  named  Apollos, 
born  at  Alexandria,  and  most  likely  resident  there  for  a  long 
time,  "was  instructed  in  the  way  of  the  Lord,"  being 
"  mighty  in  the  Scriptures."  He  had  doubtless  received  his 
knowledge  of  Christ  and  the  way  of  salvation  from  a  person 
or  persons  who  were  not  fully  acquainted  with  the  doctrines 
of  the  evangelical  faith;  for  it  is  said  that  when  Aquilla  and 
Priscilla  heard  him  they  took  him  unto  them,  and  "  expounded 
unto  him  the  way  of  God  more  perfectly." 


12  The  American  Mission 

By  an  almost  universal  tradition,  the  Evangelist  Mark  is 
said  to  have  gone  down  to  Egypt  and  preached  the  Gospel 
with  great  success  until  he  was  beheaded.  His  head  is 
believed  by  the  Copts  to  haxe  been  buried  in  the  place  where 
the  Coptic  Church  in  Alexandria  now  stands.  It  seems  more 
than  probable,  too,  that  the  Apostle  Peter  spent  a  short  time 
in  Egypt,  and  went  south  as  far  as  Old  Cairo,  from  which,  it 
is  thought  by  some,  that  he  wrote  his  first  epistle,  in  which 
at  the  close  he  says  :  "  The  Church  that  is  at  Babylon,  elect 
together  with  you,  saluteth  you,  and  so  does  Marcus,  my, 
son."  It  is  entirely  inadmissable  to  suppose  that  he  refers' 
to  spiritual  Babylon  or  Rome.  In  a  sentence  closing  where 
he  is  speaking  of  persons  in  historic  language,  it  is  against 
the  plainest  rules  of  interpretation  to  understand  him  as  re- 
ferring to  Rome.  There  is  no  evidence,  either,  and  it  is 
entirely  improbable  that  he  ever  went  to  ancient  Babylon,  so 
far  away  in  the  East.  To  make  a  visit  there  would  ha\'e 
taken  a  long  time  and  would  have  been  a  great  event  in 
his  life.  Besides,  there  is  not  the  slightest  tradition  that 
Marcus  was  ever  there.  But  what  can  be  more  probable 
than  that  Peter  made  a  visit  to  his  relative  Mark,  who  lived 
in  an  adjoining  country,  distant  only  a  few  days  from  Pales- 
tine, and  with  which  there  was  daily  and  easy  intercourse? 
It  is  well  known  that  a  part  of  Old  Cairo,  in  whicl''  was  the 
Roman  garrison,  was  called  "  Babloon,"  and  there  exists  to 
this  day  at  that  place  a  Coptic  Church  called  the  Church  of 
Babloon.  To  me,  then,  it  seems  more  than  probable  that  the 
Apostle  Peter  was  an  important  factor  in  establishing  the 
Christian  Church  in  Egypt. 

When  the  Gospel  was  first  promulgated  in  Egypt  there 
was  a  large  and  influential  colony  of  Jews  in  Alexandria,  and 
considerable  numbers  in  Old  Cairo  and  at  other  points  of  the 
Delta,  especially  in  the  vicinity  of  El  Mahalla  El  Kubra.  As 
the  first  person  to  teach  Christian  truths  in  Egypt  must  have 
been  Jews,  they  would  naturally  find  hearers  more  easily 
among  their  kinsmen;  and  more  especially  as  there  seems  to 
have  existed  there  among  the  Jews  a  freer  spirit  of  inquiry 


p 


;3^^«;': 


o 

u 
U 

o 


eq 


O 


IN  Egypt.  i^ 

than  among  the  same  people  in  Palestine,  we  may  naturally 
conclude  that  the  first  converts  were  from  the  descendants 
of  Abraham.  Howsoever  this  may  have  been,  it  is  clear 
from  the  records  of  history  that  the  Christian  religion  was 
accepted  by  many  in  Egypt  before  the  close  of  the  first 
century,  and  the  numbers  rapidly  increased  among  that  natur- 
ally religious  people  until  the  Egyptian  nation  became  Chris- 
tian, and  Christian  churches  filled  the  Nile  valley  far  above 
the  First  Cataract.  Abyssinia,  too,  whether  through  the 
Ethiopian  eunuch's  return  to  his  country  after  his  baptism  or 
through  others  filled  with  a  love  of  the  truth,  also  accepted 
the  Christian  faith,  and  many  of  her  people  retain  the  Chris- 
tian name  and  boldly  defend  a  form  of  Christian  doctrine  to 
this  day. 

The  Egyptian  Church  in  Egypt  passed  through  the  fires 
of  persecution  as  other  Christians  in  the  Roman  Empire,  and 
many  suffered  martyrdom  for  their  unwillingness  to  deny 
Him  who  bought  them  with  his  precious  blood.  The  perse- 
cution in  Egypt  was  especially  severe  during  the  reign  of 
Diocletian.  Of  this  Milner  says,  on  the  authority  of 
Eusebius:  "Egypt  suffered  extremely.  Whole  families 
were  put  to  various  kinds  of  death;  some  by  fire,  others  by 
water,  others  by  decollation,  after  horrible  tortures.  Some 
perished  by  famine,  others  by  crucifixion,  and  of  these,  some 
in  the  common  manner,  others  were  fastened  with  their 
heads  downwards,  and  preserved  alive,  that  they  might  die 
by  hunger.  But  the  torments  in  Thebes  exceed  all  descrip- 
tion. Women  tied  by  one  foot  were  raised  up  on  high,  and 
exposed  naked,  monuments  at  once  of  the  inhumanity  and 
^Jidecency  of  the  persecutors.  Others  were  torn  by  the  dis- 
torted boughs  of  trees ;  and  these  scenes  continued  some 
years.  Sometimes  ten,  at  other  times  thirty,  sixty,  and 
once  a  hundred  men  and  women  with  their  little  ones,  in  one 
day,  were  murdered  by  various  torments.  The  Christians 
suffered  with  the  greatest  faith  and  patience.  There  was 
even  the  appearance  of  joy  and  triumph  among  them,  and  to 
their  last  breath  they  employed  themselves  in  psalms  and 


14  The  American  Mission 

thanksgiving.  In  \ain  diJ  relations,  friends,  magistrates, 
even  judges,  exhort  them  to  pity  themselves,  their  wives  and 
children.  They  loved  Christ  abo\e  all,  and  bravely  as  well 
as  humbly  met  death  for  His  sake." 

From  the  close  of  the  second  century  of  the  Christian 
era  to  the  time  of  the  Muliammadan  conquest,  the  history  of 
the  Egyptian  Church  is  the  history  of  the  land  itself.  She 
had  a  large  share  in  the  controversies  that  interested,  excited 
and  rent  the  Christian  Church  into  various  sects  and  parties, 
and  she  had  great  influence  in  settling  some  of  the  most  im- 
portant doctrines  of  our  common  faith.  She  has  honorable 
names  on  the  roll  of  Church  history. 

Who  has  not  heard  of  Athanasius,  Macarius  and  Cyril  ? 
In  the  Nicean  Council  there  were  Saras,  a  Presbyter  from 
the  Lybian  province  ;  Euzarus,  a  deacon  from  Egypt;  Achil- 
las, a  reader;  Secundus,  Bishop  of  Ptolemais;  Pottamman, 
Bishop  of  Heraclespolis,  and  Paphmatius,  Bisliopof  the  Upper 
Thebaid.  Dean  Stanlex',  in  "The  Eastern  Church,"  says 
concerning  the  Egyptian  Church  soon  after  the  time  of  the 
Nicean  Council:  "  The  Alexandrian  Church  was  the  only 
great  seat  of  Christian  learning.  Its  Episcopate  was  the 
Evangelical  See  as  founded  by  the  Evangelist  Mark.  The 
Chair  of  St.  Mark  was  and  still  is  the  name  of  the  Patriarchal 
throne  of  Eg)'pt.  Its  occupant  was  the  only  potentate  of  the 
time  who  bore  the  name  of  Pope.  After  the  Council  of  Nicea 
he  became  the  '  Judge  of  the  World,'  from  his  decisions  re- 
specting the  celebration  of  Easter;  and  the  obedience  paid  to 
his  judgment  in  all  matters  of  learning,  secular  and  sacred, 
almost  equaled  that  paid  in  later  days  to  the  ecclesiastical 
authority  of  the  Pope  of  the  West."  "The  head  of  the 
Alexandria  Church,"  says  Gregory  Nazianzen,  "isthe  head 
of  the  world.  Athanasius  was  not  only  in  name  but  in  fact 
the  representative  of  the  Egyptian  Church."  So  mucn  can 
be  said  of  the  position,  influence  and  learning  of  Athanasius, 
the  head  and  representative  of  the  Christian  Church  in 
Egypt,  which  still  continued  in  many  respects  evangelical. 
Gradually,  however,  like  other  Eastern  churches,  she  fell 


IN  Egypt.  15 

from  -the  gospel  purity  of  doctrine  and  simplicity  of  worship 
into  a  greatly  corrupted  faith,  and  a  gaudy,  worldly  ritual. 
Great  importance  came  to  be  laid  on  fasting,  hermitage  and 
monasticism  ;  and  the  merits  of  Christ's  life,  sufferings  and 
death,  as  the  only  justifying  righteousness  for  the  sinner, 
were  little  by  little  set  aside  or  lost  sight  of.  From  the  fifth 
century  the  controversy  between  the  Royalists,  who  adhered 
to  the  creed  of  the  Greeks,  and  the  Jacobites,  who  were 
Eutychians,  was  vehemently  maintained  for  more  than  a 
hundred  years,  the  victory  inclining  more  and  more  to  the 
latter.  The  pacific  policy  of  Zenos  for  a  time  restrained  open 
warfare,  but,  in  the  succeeding  reigns,  the  strife  of  arms  was 
added  to  the  strife  of  words,  and  bloody  persecutions  were 
carried  out  in  manifest  opposition  to  the  true  spirit  of  Chris- 
tianity. Without  success  Appollinarius,  at  the  same  time 
Patriarch  and  Prefect,  attempted  by  threatening  and  massacre 
to  convert  the  Jacobite  masses;  but  they,  on  the  contrary, 
roused  by  their  zealous  bishops,  returned  defiance  and  hatred; 
and  early  in  the  se\-enth  century  all  Christian  faith  in  Eg\'pt 
not  Monophysite  was  regarded  as  heresy  from  Alexandria  to 
Aswan.  To  quarrels  with  the  Greeks  succeeded  quarrels 
with  one  another  on  various  points — especially  bitter  on 
account  of  being  among  one  another  and  in  reference  to  mat- 
ters not  essential  to  sahation.  Theodore  and  Themistius 
discussed  the  question  concerning  the  wisdom  of  Jesus,  the 
latter  expressing  the  belief  that  Jesus  was  not  omniscient. 
John,  the  Grammarian,  affirmed  that  there  were  three  Gods, 
and  rejected  the  word  unity  from  the  doctrine  of  the  bi-ingof 
God.  In  the  fifth  year  of  his  administration  as  Patriarch 
from  611  A.  D.,  John,  the  Almsgiver,  made  more  converts 
by  his  activity  in  good  works  than  by  his  zeal  against  the 
"  Greek  heresy" ;  yet  he  was  not  acknowledged  as  a  genuine 
Patriarch,  because  he  was  appointed  to  the  office  by  the 
Emperor,  and  followed  the  Imperial  party  when  it  was  dri\-en 
from  Alexandria  by  the  invading  Persians.  In  the  tenth 
year  of  Persian  rule,  the  Patriarch  was  a  true  Jacobite. 
When  the  Romans  regained  power  the  Jacobite  Benjamin 


i6  The  American  Mission 

was  displaced,  and  for  a  time  the  Church  of  Egypt  had  a 
ruler  whose  opinions  were  a  compromise  between  the  two, 
maintaining  two  naturt-s  in  Christ  but  only  a  single  will. 

When  the  great  strife  between  the  Greeks  and  the  Arabs 
took  place,  the  Egyptians  eventually,  but  secretly,  inclined 
to  the  Muslim  party — 1  do  not  say  Muslim  faith.  It  was 
doubtless  their  aim  to  get  their  revenge  on  the  Greeks,  with 
no  intention,  however,  to  put  themsel\-es  under  the  Arabs. 
Yet  it  has  been  charged  against  them,  with  apparent  justice, 
tliat  their  conni\ance  with  Amru  and  his  army  decided  the 
contest  in  fa\or  of  the  domination  of  the  religion  of  Muham- 
mad. But  if  they  were  promised  amnesty,  immunity  and 
protection,  the  promise  was  not  long  kept.  Within  a  century 
from  the  fall  of  Alexandria  the  hands  of  monks  were  branded 
and  hea\y  annual  imposts  exacted  from  them,  and  such  as 
refused  to  pay  were  scourged,  outraged  or  beheaded,  while 
many  of  the  churches  were  plundered  and  destro)-ed.  In 
the  reign  of  the  Kalif  Hashim  (724-743)  the  Jacobite  dispute 
was  revived  by  the  restoration  of  some  of  the  Greek  bishops 
to  their  ancient  Sees  in  Nubia,  and  bribes  by  one  and  the 
other  as  usual  swayed  the  authorities  in  either  direction. 
In  755  it  was  forbidden  to  any  Copt  or  Egyptian  Christian  to 
hold  any  public  office,  even  if  he  should  embrace  Islam.  In 
the  reigns  of  the  succeeding  Abbasside  dynasty,  the  humili- 
ations of  the  Christians  were  multiplied.  The  Kalif  Muta- 
wakkil  compelled  them  to  wear  disgraceful  articles  of  dress, 
and  to  fasten  on  their  doors  pictures  of  devils;  and  a  century 
afterwards,  the  mad  Fatimite  Kalif,  Hakim,  prescribed  for 
them  the  black  robe  and  turban,  and  ordered  them  to  wear 
suspended  from  their  necks  a  heavy  wooden  cross;  he  also 
confiscated  their  churches  and  finally  decreed  their  banish- 
ment. To  save  themselves  from  these  cruel  penalties,  great 
numbers  apostatized.  No  new  proselyte  was  permitted  to 
return  to  his  family  unless  the  members  thereof  should  accept 
the  Muhammadan  faith;  and,  as  many  of  the  conversions 
were  known  to  be  feigned,  the  greatest  strictness  was  required 
in  the  observance  of   Muhammadan  forms.     In  succeeding 


IN  Egypt. 


17 


centuries  the  number  of  Christians  steadily  decreased. 
Many  churches  were  converted  into  mosques.  In  1301  A.  D. 
the  rage  of  the  Mogreb  ambassador  at  seeing  a  Christian 
riding  through  Cairo  with  all  the  state  and  retinue  of  a 
Muhammadan  Effendi,  led  to  the  issue  of  an  edict  requiring 
all  Christians  to  wear  blue  turbans,  and  forbidding  them  to 
ride  on  horses  or  mules.  Fresh  conversions  to  Islam  were 
the  result  of  this  edict.  In  1321  A.  D.,  by  a  sudden  and 
cruel  conspiracy,  the  Muslim  zealots  destroyed  simultaneously 
nearly  all  the  Egyptian  churches,  many  of  which  were 
razed  to  the  ground.  The  Christians  retaliated  by  burning 
in  Fostat  and  Cairo  a  large  number  of  houses,  palaces  and 
mosques.  The  punishment  for  these  outrages,  though  it  fell 
upon  some  of  the  Muslim  fanatics,  came  with  cruel  severity 
upon  the  Christian  offenders.  Some  were  hanged,  some 
burned  alive,  and  permission  was  given  to  all  Muhammadan 
subjects  to  rob  and  murder  any  Christian  who  might  be  found 
wearing  the  white  turban.  No  government  official  was  per- 
mitted to  employ  a  Copt.  At  the  public  baths  they  were 
distinguished  by  a  bill  hung  from  the  neck.  As  might  be 
expected,  many  changes  of  faith  resulted  from  this  persecu- 
tion, and  at  the  end  of  the  fourteenth  century  the  condition 
of  the  Egyptian  Christians  reached  its  lowest  point,  at  which 
it  remained  with  but  little  variation  up  to  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  when  the  Moravian  missionaries  began 
their  work  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile. 

When  we  consider  the  unjust  and  often  cruel  treatment 
endured  by  the  Egyptian  Christians  for  so  many  centuries 
at  the  hands  of  their  Muhammadan  conquerors,  we  are  sur 
prised  that  any  remained  to  preserve  the  Christian  name 
along  the  banks  of  the  Nile.  We  cannot  but  extol  their 
patient  endurance  and  their  tenacious  adherence  to  a  faith, 
which,  though  greatly  changed  since  the  fourth  century,  still 
had  in  it  some  of  that  truth  which  sprang  from  Calvary  and 
was  proclaimed  abroad  by  the  Apostles  of  our  Lord.  A  peo- 
ple who  had  such  tenacity  of  faith  and  such  power  of  patient 
suffering  for  the  Christian  name,  must  have  had  some  glimpse 


i8  ,  The  American  Mission 

of  the  light  that  illumines  the  soul  and  leads  up  to  the  throne 
of  God.  To  help  such  a  people  to  loosen  themselves  from 
the  chains  of  superstition,  and  to  come  out  of  the  dungeon  of 
darkness  into  which  their  surroundings  had  imprisoned  them, 
and  lead  them  forth  into  the  light  and  liberty  of  the  Christian 
faith,  is  surely  a  duty  and  a  precious  privilege. 


(".r(.;it    l'\r:miiil,   Sclii   'I'hrou.L;!!    l';ilni   TrcfS. 


IN  tGYPT. 


19 


CHAPTER  II. 

Various  attempts  in  modern  times  to  preach  a  pure  Gospel  in  Egypt — 
and  to  secure  a  friendly  intercourse  with  the  Christians  of  the  Nile  valley 
from  1752-1854 — The  Moravians — The  Church  Mission  Society  Missionaries, 
and  others. 

The  first  recorded  efforts  to  introduce  into  Egypt  the 
pure  Gospel,  viz.,  that  salvation  is  to  be  obtained  through 
the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  alone,  and  that  communion  with 
Him  by  the  agency  of  the  divine  Spirit  is  the  source  of  life 
and  all  true  happiness — were  made  by  the  Moravians,  whose 
living  faith  has  been  attested  in  so  many  distant  places  of 
the  earth  by  their  works  of  humility,  Christian  endurance 
and  brotherly  love.  They  acted  then,  as  ever,  on  the  maxim, 
"  The  world  for  Christ,"  and  having  felt  the  deep  obliga- 
tion resting  upon  them  in  consequence  of  the  Lord's  commu- 
nication to  his  Church  to  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature — they,  according  to  the  meas- 
ure of  their  ability,  and  often  as  compared  with  others,  far 
above  it,  sent  forth  missionaries  of  the  Cross  to  the  East, 
the  West,  the  North,  and  the  South.  Not  only  did  they 
seek  the  conversion  of  the  non-Christian  population,  but 
they  stretched  out  their  arms  of  loving  sympathy  towards 
their  suffering  brethren  in  Christ.  It  was  through  impulses 
of  brotherly  love  and  sympathy  that  Count  Zinzendorf 
cherished  the  desire  of  a  better  acquaintance  and  a  closer 
spiritual  communion  with  Christians  of  other  divisions  of 
the  Church  of  Christ  on  earth,  and  specially  longed  to  know 
more  of  the  conditions  of  believers  in  Christ,  residing  in  the 
Nile  valley  and  away  in  the  distant  wilds  of  Abyssinia. 
He  had  heard  of  their  trials,  their  temptations,  and  tenacious 
steadfastness  in  professing  Christ  in  the  midst  of  constant 


20  The  American  Mission 

ridicule  and  severe  bodily  suffering.  He  longed  to  i<now 
more  about  them,  and,  if  possible,  speak  a  word  of  comfort 
to  them,  and  encourage  them  to  a  higher  and  holier  walk 
with  God.  At  his  earnest  initiative  the  Brethren  appointed 
Frederick  William  Hooker,  M.  D.,  with  the  primary  object 
of  opening  up  missionary  communication  with  Abyssinian 
Christians.  He  was  directed  to  remain  some  time  in  Cairo 
for  the  purpose  "of  acquiring  a  competent  knowledge  of  the 
Arabic  language ;  to  collect  all  possible  information  relative 
to  the  actual  state  of  Abyssinia,  and  the  best  mode  of  visiting 
it,  and  to  seek  to  obtain  the  good  will  and  confidence  of  the 
Patriarch  of  the  Coptic  Church."  He  had  already  endured 
hardness  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ  in  missionary 
campaigning  in  Persia,  and  could  be  trusted  both  as  to  pru- 
dence and  zeal  to  carry  out  the  desires  of  his  Society  and 
brethren,  as  well  as  to  obey  the  last  command  of  his  divine 
Master.  On  the  8th  of  May,  1752,  he  embarked  at  London 
for  Genoa,  thence  to  Leghorn  and  Alexandria.  Considering 
the  circumstances  of  the  time  and  place,  we  are  not  surprised 
at  his  feelings,  as  expressed  by  himself :  "As  we  approached 
the  Turkish  provinces  lying  on  the  north  coast  of  Africa, 
a  sensation  of  horror  came  over  me,  and  I  felt  my  courage 
begin  to  fail ;  in  my  distress  I  fled  for  refuge  to  my  gracious 
Lord  and  Master,  beseeching  Him  to  strengthen  my  faith, 
and  to  restore  my  confidence  in  Him;  whereupon  my  com- 
posure and  cheerfulness  immediately  returned."  On  the 
ist  of  August,  1752,  he  landed  at  Alexandria,  found  a  kind 
friend  in  a  Mr.  Brown,  then  English  consul,  who  insisted  on 
his  making  his  house  his  home  during  the  two  weeks  of  his 
sojourn  in  the  city.  Of  his  visit  to  the  Coptic  Church  in 
Alexandria  he  wrote:  "One  day  I  visited  the  Church  of  St. 
Mark,  the  only  one  which  the  Copts  possess  in  Alexandria. 
It  is  without  the  walls  of  the  city,  adjoining  the  Jewish 
synagogue,  and  not  far  from  the  Greek  convent.  Its 
external  appearance  is  unsightly,  the  structure  being  mean 
in  itself  and  quite  surrounded  by  other  buildings  so  that  the 
interior  cannot  be  seen  without  artificial    light,  and,  even 


IN  Egypt.  ^i 


w,th  the  help  of  a  couple  of  wax  candles,  the  view,  as  may 
be  imagined,  is  gloomy  in  the  extreme.  It  brought  power- 
fully to  my  recollection  the  subterranean  caverns  in  which 
the  first  Christians  were  compelled  to  celebrate  their  reliaious 
rites.  Portions  of  the  church,  which  would  however  scarcely 
accommodate  sixty  persons,  are  railed  off  and  provided  with 
two  pulpits  of  wood,  and  without  steps  up  to  them,  so  that 
whenever  it  is  deemed  necessary  to  use  them,  a  stool  has  to 
be  brought,  to  enable  the  preacher  to  ascend.  My  guide  did 
not  fail  to  point  out  to  me  the  place  in  which  no  less  a  relic 
than  the  head  of  the  Evangelist  Mark  is  said  to  be  kept  " 

In  order  to  reach  Cairo  at  that  time  Dr.  Hooker  had  to 
ride  along  the  sandy  shore  of  the  Mediterranean  to  Rosetta 
This  he  accomplished  in  two  days,  where  he  engaged  passaae 
in  an  open  boat  which  carried  him  to  Bulac-the  boat  beina 
sometimes  carried  forward   with   the  wind,  and  sometimes" 
that  failing,  it  was  dragged  by  the  sailors.     On  August  on 
17S2,  he  entered  Cairo  for  the  first  time,  the  pione^er^  mis^ 
sionary  from  the  West.     He  thus  describes  what  he  saw  and 
how  he  himself  was  dressed:  "The  dress  which  I  had  mean- 
while  assumed,    in    compliance   with    the    fashion   of    the 
country,  consisted  of  a  flowing  cloak  of  silk,  under  which 
was  a  colored  vestment  of  camlet,  loose  red  trousers  reach- 
ing to  the  ankles  and  rendering  stockings  needless,  yellow 
slippers  and  leather  socks  of  the  same  color.     My  head  was 
covered  with  a  great  fur  cap,  and  my  mustaches  had  already 
assumed  a  respectable  appearance.     Thus  accoutred  I  rode 
into  the  city  of  Grand  Cairo  upon  an  ass.     All  this  is  pre- 
scribed by  positive  law  ;  none  but  Muhammadans  are  allowed 
to  ride   on  horseback,  and  they  too,  as  well  as  Jews  and 
Christians,  are  subject  to  particular  regulations  according  to 
their  rank  and  occupation,  especially  in  regard  to  the  cover- 
ing of  the  head." 

Dr.  Hooker  busied  himself  for  some  time  in  the  study  of 
the  language,  in  medical  practice,  and  in  gaining  a  knowledge 
of  the  country,  and  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  people 
He  found  several  opportunities  also  of  learning  something  of 


22  The  American  Mission 

Abyssinia,  and  the  best  route  to  be  taken  to  reach  it.  He 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  Coptic  Patriarch,  who  received 
him  kindly  and  listened  to  him  attentively  while  he  related 
to  him  the  efforts  of  the  Moravians  to  spread  the  Gospel  and 
to  hold  out  the  hand-of  fellowship  and  sympathy  to  Christ- 
ians in  various  parts  of  the  world.  The  Patriarch  also  gave 
him,  a  few  days  later,  a  letter  in  reply  to  the  one  he  had 
delivered  him  from  Count  Zinzendorf.  Subsequently,  Dr. 
Hooker  attended  divine  service  at  the  Coptic  Church,  which 
he  thus  describes:  "I  found  the  congregation  listening  to  a 
passage  from  the  life  of  some  saint.  This  was  followed  by 
a  hymn,  and  this  again  by  a  performance  of  instrumental 
music,  which  consisted  in  the  somewhat  ingenious  gingling 
together  of  two  metallic  plates  accompanied  by  the  strokes 
of  two  little  wooden  hammers  upon  some  boards.  Hereupon 
a  young  deacon,  about  ten  or  twelve  years  old,  read  a  portion 
of  S.  S.,  after  which  one  of  the  ecclesiastics  chanted  some 
words  which  the  Patriarch,  rising  from  his  seat,  read  aloud 
to  the  people.  The  station  of  this  dignitary  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  service  was  in  a  chair,  in  which  he  sat 
with  his  crozier  in  his  hand  and  surrounded  by  the  priests 
and  deacons.  Another  passage  having  been  read  out  of  the 
Bible  accompanied  by  a  short  comment,  mass  was  performed 
in  Coptic  in  the  altar-room  of  the  church,  and  this  was  fol- 
lowed by  music  of  the  kind  already  described.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  service  all  the  church  members  passed 
by  the  chair,  each  one  kissing  the  hand  of  the  Patriarch  who 
had  stationed  himself  at  the  door  of  the  'Heikal,'*  he  in  turn 
stroking  everyone  upon  the  face."  'Dr.  Hooker  also  visited 
Constantinople  in  December,  1753,  returned  to  Alexandria 
in  July,  1754,  and  to  Cairo  in  December  of  the  same  year, 
to  find  the  city  and  suburbs  in  a  state  of  anarchy  and 
danger.  Returning  to  Germany  in  1756,  and  being  joined 
by  a  Brother,  Pilder  by  name,  they  came  back  to  Cairo  in 
1756;  and  after  two  years'  travel,  during  which  Mr.  Pilder 
studied  Arabic,  and  they  were  joined  by  Mr.  Cassart,  they 
•Temple,  or  Altar  room. 


IN  Egypt. 


23 


left  for  Abyssinia  but  were  shipwrecked  on  the  Island  of 
Husein,  and  came  back  to  Cairo  in  July,  1759,  and  returned 
to  Europe  in  1761.  From  the  year  1768  the,  Brethren  gave 
special  attention  to  the  Copts.  In  this  year  J.  Henry  Danke 
was  appointed  to  labor  among  them.  -  He  reached  Cairo, 
March  5,  1769.  The  next  year  he  went  to  Girga  where, 
he  says,  he  found  the  hearts  of  the  Copts  like  stone.  Hence 
he  went  to  Behnessa,  where  he  gained  access  to  the  hearts  of 
the  people  and  was  blessed  to  the  conversion  of  some  of  the 
Copts  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  visited  many 
villages  between  Benisuef  and  Minya,  and  was  kindly  treated 
generally  by  priests  and  people,  though  occasionally  ignor- 
ance and  superstition  stirred  up  opposition  against  him.  A 
certain  Abd  El  Malak  and  Bishai  Bashara  were  his  fast 
friends  and  greatly  enjoyed  religious  intercourse  with  him. 
He  was  a  most  godly,  prudent  and  zealous  man,  and  by  his 
humble  pious  life,  did  much  to  recommend  the  simple, 
saving  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Mr.  John  Antes,  another  Moravian  missionary,  joined 
the  Egyptian  mission,  reaching  Bulac  on  February  10, 
1770.  He  made  several  visits  to  Behnessa,  somtimes  alone 
and  sometimes  in  company  with  other  brethren,  strengthen- 
ing the  faith  and  encouraging  the  hearts  of  those  who  had 
been  the  faithful  friends  of  the  late  Mr.  Dante.  His  head- 
quarters were  in  Cairo,  which  then  was  governed  on  the 
principle  of  power  and  plunder.  To  show  the  state  of  things 
at  that  time  he  relates  the  following  personal  experience : 
"  On  taking  a  walk  outside  of  the  city  one  day,  in  1779,  I 
had  the  misfortune  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  Bey,  who,  in 
hope  of  extracting  a  large  sum  of  money  from  me,  treated 
me  in  a  most  cruel  manner.  On  returning  from  a  walk  in 
company  with  the  Venetian  consul,  we  were  observed  by 
some  Mamelukes  belonging  to  Osman  Bey.  Two  of  the 
Mamelukes  immediately  came  in  full  gallop  towards  us  with 
drawn  swords,  followed  by  some  footmen.  They  immedi- 
ately stripped  us  of  our  fur  coats,  shawls,  and  whatever 
else  we  had  about  us  of  any  value,  demanding  forty  pounds 


24  The  A.MERiCAN  Mission 

($200)  and  threatened  to  take  us  before  their  master  unless 
we  instantly  gave  them  money.  1  told  them  we  had  no  such 
sum  about  us,  and  taking  out  my  purse  offered  it  to  them. 
They  at  first  took  it,  but  finding  it  contained  only  twenty- 
five  shillings.  (S6.25)  threw  it  back  with  disdain,  saying, 
'dahab,  dahab,'  i.  e.,  gold,  gold.  1  told  them  1  had  no 
gold  with  me,  but  if  they  would  go  with  me  to  my  house  I 
would  give  them  some.  Upon  this  they  cursed  me,  and 
being  joined  by  ten  more  of  the  gang,  they  again  demanded 
gold.  I  again  answered  that  1  had  none  with  me.  At  last 
their  chief  accosted  me,  '  Go,  you,  home  and  fetch  the  gold, 
but  we  will  keep  your  companion  here  as  a  hostage,  and  if  you 
do  not  soon  return  I  will  cut  off  his  head.'  When  1  saw  the 
poor  man  crying  and  trembling  all  over  I  could  not  think  of 
leaving  him  in  the  hands  of  the  tigers  and  escaping  myself. 
I  therefore  told  him  to  go,  and  fetch  the  money,  and  I  would 
stay  with  them.  He  had  scarcely  advanced  a  few  steps 
when  the  servants  fell  upon  him  and  stripped  him  of  the  few 
remaining  pieces  of  clothing  he  had  left,  so  that  he  escaped 
nearly  naked  to  the  town.  By  this  time  the  sun  had  set, 
and  it  began  to  grow  dark  ;  and  as  the  Mamelukes  durst  not 
stay  away  from  their  master'  till  my  companion  returned, 
one  of  them  rode  up  to  the  bey  and  told  him  they  had  seized 
some  Europeans  from  whom  something  might  be  got.  The 
man  soon  returned  with  orders  that  1  should  be  brought 
before  the  bey  ;  and  taking  me  between  their  horses  they 
dragged  me  to  the  place  where  he  was  sitting.  When  I 
came  near  to  him  1  addressed  him  with  the  usual  phrase : 
'  1  am  under  your  protection,'  to  which,  if  they  are  not 
maliciously  inclined  they  answer :  '  You  are  welcome.' 
But  instead  of  answering  at  all  he  stared  furiously  at  me, 
and  said  '  Who  are  you?'  I  replied,  '  1  am  an  Englishman.' 
'  What  are  you  doing  here  in  the  night?  You  must  be 
a  thief.  Aye,  aye,  most  likely  the  one  that  did  such 
and  such  a  thing  the  other  day.'  I  replied,  '  1  was  entering 
the  city  gates  half  an  hour  before  sunset  when  I  was  taken 
by  your  Mamelukes  and  detained  till  now — and  still  it  is  not 


(L» 

o 


IN  Egypt.  ,.. 


an  hour   after  sunset,  which  is  the  regular  time  for  shutting 
the  g^ites  '     Without  replying  he  pointed  to  one  of  his  offi 
cers  to  take  me  to  the  castle,  a  building  at  some  distance  out 
of  town      Having  given  his  orders  for  my  removal  I  wanted 
to  say  a  few  words  more,  but  was  prevented  by  a  horde  of  ser- 
vants who  are  always  glad  to  insult  a  European.     One  aave 
me  a  kick  on  one  side,  another  on  the  other  side    one  "spat 
m  my  face,  while   another  put  a  rope  round  my  neck  made 
of  the  filaments  of  the  date  tree,  which  are  much  rougher 
han  horse-hair.     By  this  rope  a  fellow  in  rags  was  ordered 
to   drag   me   along,  and   another   on  horseback  armed  with 
sword  and  pistols  to  guard  me.     Arriving  at  the  castle  I  was 
put  in  0  a  dungeon  half  under  ground,  a  large  chain  was  put 
around  my  neck,  secured  by  a  padlock,  and  the  other  end 
fastened  to  a  piece   of  timber.     Nothing  could   induce  the 
servant  to  give  me  pen  and  ink  to  write  to  my  friends  in  the 
city,  though   they   furnished   me  with  drinking  water      In 
about  half  an  hour  the  bey  arrived  with  his  rerinue,  li.'rhted 
flambeaux  being  carried  before  him.     He  alighted,  went  up 
s  airs  ,nto  a  room,  sat  down  in  a  corner  and  all  his  people 
placed  themselves  in  a  circle  around  him.     I  was  then  sent 
for,  unchained,  and  led  upstairs  by  two  men.     On  the  st-'iis 
I  heard  the  instruments  for  the  bastinado  rattle,  and  guessed 
what  I  had  to  expect.     Upon  entering  I  found  a  small  Per- 
s.an  rug   spread  for  me.     This  was  a  mark  of  civility  only 
due  to  a  gentleman,  for  the  common  people  when  about  to 
receive  the   bastinado   are  thrown    upon  the  bare  ground 
The   bey  again  asked  me  who  I  was.      '  An   Englishman  ' 
was   my    reply.       'What   is   your    business.?'      '[  live  bv 
what   God    sends,'    I   said.      He   exclaimed,    'Throw  him 
down.      I   asked    'What   have   I  done?'     '  How,  you  dog  ' 
answered    he,     'dare    you   ask    what    you    have    done^ 
Throw   h.m   down.'     The  servants  then  threw  me  flat  on 
my  face,  and  with  a  strong  staff  about  six  feet  long,  having 
a  piece  of  iron  chain   fixed  to  both  ends,  confined  my  feet 
above  the  ankles,  when  the  two  men-one  on  each  side- 
twisting  staff  and  chain  together  turned  up  the  soles  of  my 


26  The  a.merican  Mission 

feet,  and  being  provided  with  wnat  is  called  a  '  corhaje ' 
(or  strap  of  hippopotamus  skin),  waited  for  their  master's 
orders.  When  they  had  placed  me  in  this  position  an  officer 
came  and  whispered  in  my  ear :  '  Give  him  a  thousand  dol- 
lars and  he  will  let  you  go.'  I  reflected  that  should  I  now 
offer  anything  he  would  probably  send  one  of  his  men 
with  me  to  receive  it,  and  that  1  should  be  obliged  to  open 
my  strong  chest,  where  1  kept  not  only  my  own  money 
but  that  of  others,  and  that  all  that  was  in  it  would  be 
carried  away.  Being  determined  not  to  involve  others 
in  my  misfortune,  I  answered :  '  I  have  no  money  to 
give' — upon  which  he  ordered  them  to  begin.  This  they 
did  at  first  pretty  moderately,  but  1  immediately  gave  up 
myself  for  lost,  well  knowing  that  my  life  depended  entirely 
on  the  caprice  of  an  unfeeling  tyrant,  and,  after  the  many 
instances  of  unrelenting  cruelty  which  I  had  heard  of  and 
seen,  I  had  therefore  no  refuge  but  the  mercy  of  God,  and 
commended  my  soul  to  Him,  and  felt  His  support  so  power- 
fully that  all  fear  of  death  was  taken  from  me,  and  I  could 
cheerfully  resign  my  life  into  His  hands.  After  beating  me 
for  some  time,  the  officer  again  whispered  the  word  'money.' 
I  again  answered,  '1  have  none.'  Then  they  laid  on  more 
roughly,  and  every  stroke  felt  like  the  application  of  a  red 
hot  poker.  The  officer,  thinking  that  though  1  had  no  money 
I  might  have  some  valuable  goods,  once  more  whispered  to 
that  effect.  Knowing  that  elegant  English  firearms  were  at 
a  premium  with  such  persons,  1  offered  a  valuable  blunder- 
buss mounted  with  silver,  which  I  could  get  at  without  open- 
ing my  chest.  The  bey  observed  me  speaking  to  the  officer 
and  inquired  what  1  said.  On  learning,  he  exclaimed  with  a 
sneer:  'Only  a  blunderbuss.!*  Beat  the  dog.'  Now  they 
began  to  strike  with  all  their  might,  and  I  thought  they  would 
beat  me  to  death,  and  commended  my  soul  to  Jesus  Christ, 
my  Saviour.  When  at  length  the  bey  saw  that  no  money 
could  be  extorted  from  me,  he  thought  probably  that,  after 
all,  I  might  in  reality  be  a  poor  man,  and,  as  1  had  done 
nothing  to  deserve  such  punishment,  he  ordered  them  to  let 


IN  Egypt.  27 

me  go.     I  was  now  obliged  to  walk  down  to  my  prison   the 
chain  being  again  put  on  my  neck.     Upon  my  asking  the 
servant  the  reason  for  this  precaution,  since  in  the  present 
state  of  my  feet  there  was  little  danger  of  my  running  away 
their  reply  was  :     '  The  bey  will  have  it  so.'     In  about  half 
an  hour  the  messenger  came  with  orders  to  bring  me  up 
again.     The  servants  then  took  the  chain  off  and  carried  me 
till  I  was  near  the  door,  when  I  was  told  to  walk  in,  else  the 
bey   would  beat  me  again.     When  I  came  before  the  bey 
he  asked  one  of  his  officers  :     '  Is  this  the  man  you  told  me 
of.?       The  officer,  stepping  up  to  me  and  staring  me  in  the 
face,  as  if  narrowly  to  inspect  my  features,  on  a  sudden  lifted 
up  his  hands  and  cried  out :     '  By  Allah,  it  is!     Ah'  this  is 
the  best  man  in  all  Cairo,  and  my  very  particular  friend  » 
Oh!  how  sorry  I  am  that  I  was  not  here  before  to  tell  you  so  ' 
with  other  expressions  of  the  same  kind.     The  bey  answered  • 
'Then  take  him.     I  give  him  to  you,  and  if  he  has  lost  any- 
tliing  see  to  get  it  restored.'     I  had  never  in  my  life  seen  the 
officer,  and  soon  perceived  it  was  altogether  a  deception  in 
order  to  get  rid  of  me.     Once  more  I  was  obliged  to  walk  till 
was  out  of  the  bey's  sight,  when  the  servants  of  my  pre- 
tended friend  took  me  up  and  carried  me  to  his  house   at  a 
considerable  distance.     Here  he  offered  me  somethina  to  eat 
and  made  up  a  tolerably  decent  bed,  which  was  tl^e  more 
welcome  to  me  as  the  greater  part  of  my  clothes  had  been 
torn  off  my  back  and  I  felt  very  cold.     All  I  got  returned  was 
an  old  cashmere  shawl.     I  asked  him  whether  what  hap- 
pened to  me  was  the  boasted  hospitality  of  his  countr^•men 
to  strangers.     I  got  nothing  for  answer  but:     '  Min  Allah' 
Maktoob!     Mukaddar! '  i.  e.,  '  It  is  from  God;  it  is  written' 
It  IS  in  the  Book  of  Fate.'     He  however  took  nothing  amiss,' 
but  anointed  my  feet  with  some  healing  balsam  and  tied  rags 
about  them.     I  then  lay  down  and  spent  a  very  uncomfort- 
able night,  in  great  pain.     In  the   morning  he   asked   me 
whether  I  was  acquainted  with  the  master  of  customs,  and 
when  I  informed  him  that  he  was  my  good  friend  he  offered 
to  bring  me  to  him,  and  setting  me  upon  an  ass,  himself 


28  The  American  Mission 

mounting  a  horse,  we  proceeded  towards  the  city,  accom- 
panied by  another  soldier.  On  approaching  the  gate  he  told 
me  to  take  off  those  rags,  as  it  would  be  a  disgrace  for  me  to 
ride  into  town  in  such  a  condition.  '  No  disgrace  to  me,' 
said  1,  '  but  to  him  who  has  treated  me  so  shamefully.'  '  Min 
Allah!  Mukaddar,'  was  the  answer  again.  When  we  arrived 
at  the  master  of  the  customs  house,  he  was  shocked  to  see 
me  in  such  a  condition.  1  requested  him  to  settle  everything 
for  me  with  my  pretended  deliverer,  and  summing  up  the 
fees,  found  1  had  to  pay  about  twenty  pounds  ($ioo)  for 
this  piece  of  service;  the  whole  farce  being  intended  to  play 
a  little  money  into  the  hands  of  the  bey's  otficer.  His  serv- 
ants then  carried  me  home  and  put  me  to  bed.  It  was  six 
weeks  before  I  could  walk  on  crutches,  and  for  full  three 
years  after,  my  feet  and  ankles,  which  had  been  much  hurt 
by  the  twisting  of  the  chain,  often  swelled.  I  cannot  refrain 
from  mentioning,  however,  the  great  comfort  1  enjoyed  from 
the  texts  appointed  for  the  day  on  which  the  foregoing  event 
occurred.  '  I  am  persuaded  that  neither  death  nor  life,  nor 
angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor 
things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature, 
shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.'  " 

George  Henry  Wieniger,  another  of  the  Moravian  breth- 
ren, reached  Cairo  August  28,  1774.  At  first  he  found 
great  difficulty  in  learning  the  Arabic  language,  and  on  one 
occasion  gave  it  up  in  despair.  Dr.  Hooker  asked  him 
whether  he  had  laid  the  matter  before  the  Saviour  ' '  Often, ' ' 
he  replied.  "Well,"  said  he,  "do  it  once  more  and  1  will 
pray  with  you.  Our  Saviour  has  said  :  '  If  two  of  you  shall 
agree  on  earth  as  touching  anything  that  they  ask,  it  shall 
be  done  for  them  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.'  "  He 
>ays  he  followed  Dr.  Hooker's  advice,  and  then  made  rapid 
progress,  and  in  nine  months  from  that  date  he  was  sent  to 
Behnessa  and  was  able  to  hold  conversations  with  the  breth- 
ren there,  and  was  rejoiced  to  see  the  "  Word  of  the  Cross 
linding  entrance  into  the  hearts  of   not  a  few  among  the 


IN  Egypt.  29 

Copts."  He  spent  eight  years  alternately  at  Behnessa  and 
Cairo,  and  whenever  he  left  the  former  place  he  was  accom- 
panied at  a  considerable  distance  by  over  two  hundred  people, 
who  seemed  deeply  attached  to  him.  He  relates  an  interest- 
ing incident  of  his  experience  with  a  Muslim.  It  was  then 
strictly  forbidden  to  converse  with  Muhammadanson  religious 
subjects.  "  But  one  day,"  he  says,  "we  were  walking  in  a 
large  garden  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  when  we  met  the  pro- 
prietor, a  man  of  high  .rank,  who  accosted  us  in  a  very 
friendly  manner  and  asked  us  whether  we  were  all  brethren, 
and  whether  we  had  the  same  religion.  On  our  replying  in 
the  affirmative,  he  turned  to  me  and  said  :  *  Why  do  you 
wear  a  beard,  whereas  your  brethren  do  not?  You  must  be 
a  priest.'  He  would  not  believe  me  when  I  told  him  it  was 
merely  a  matter  of  convenience,  but  replied :  *  You  are  a 
priest;  do  not  detain  my  soul.  I  have  prayed  to  Almighty 
God  to  make  me  acquainted  with  a  man  who  could  tell  me 
what  1  must  do  to  be  saved,  and  I  have  received  the  answer 
from  Him  that  a  man  would  come  into  my  garden  who  would 
satisfy  my  desires  on  the  subject.  You  are  that  man,  I  am 
convinced;  tell  me  frankly  whether  I  am  right.'  I  inquired: 
'  Why  not,  as  you  are  a  Muhammadan,  consult  the  priests  of 
your  own  religion  ? '  To  this  he  rejoined :  Mam  firmly  con- 
vinced that  we  followers  of  Muhammad  are  not  in  the  right 
way;  there  must  be  another  way  leading  to  salvation,  and 
you  must  point  it  out  to  me.  I  am  well  aware  that  our  lives 
are  forfeited  if  our  present  conversation  were  known,  but  )'ou 
have  nothing  to  fear;  I  am  an  honest  man;  never  a  word 
shall  escape  my  lips.'  While  making  this  urgent  appeal  to 
me  he  was  so  deeply  affected  that  I  was  moved  with  the 
deepest  compassion.  '  Well,'  said  I,  '  I  will  tell  you  what  a 
Christian  must  do  to  be  saved.'  He  then  walked  witli  me 
under  a  fig  tree  and  said :  '  Come,  O  man  of  God,  here 
where  I  have  so  often  prayed  unto  God;  you  must  tell  me 
what  I  must  do.'  With  fervent  prayer  to  the  Lord  for  His 
blessing,  I  related  to  this  benighted  man  what  God  iiad  re- 
vealed to  us  in  His  Holy  Word,  dwelling   at  large  on  the 


30  The  American  Mission 

redemption  which  Christ  wrought  out  for  us  by  dying  for  our 
sins  on  the  cross.  The  agha  listened  to  me  with  much  atten- 
tion, and  when  I  told  him  that  Jesus  had  ascended  up  into 
Heaven  before  the  eyes  of  His  disciples,  he  lifted  up  his  hands 
and  exclaimed :  '  O  Jesus,  who  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of 
God,  have  mercy  upon  me;  be  also  my  Saviour.'  This 
prayer  he  repeated  several  times,  with  tears  of  deepest  emo- 
tion. Our  Saviour  graciously  favored  him  with  the  assurance 
of  pardon,  and  gave  him  a  sense  of  peace.  He  frequently 
exclaimed  with  much  fervor:  '  Lord  Jesus,  I  see  Thy  wounds. 
Thou  art  also  my  Saviour.'  The  following  morning  before 
da>breakwewere  not  a  little  alarmed  on  seeing  this  Turkish 
nobleman  with  a  numerous  train  before  the  door.  I  hastened 
to  meet  him,  and  asked  him  why  he  had  brought  so  man\- 
people  to  our  house.  He  replied :  '  They  are  my  Mame- 
lukes; they  know  nothing;  they  are  merely  awaiting  my 
orders  in  the  street.  I  could  not  resist  the  impulse  which  1 
felt  to  come  and  see  you  and  your  brethren,  nor  could  I  sleep 
the  whole  night  for  joy! '  We  then  had  some  very  edifying 
conversation  with  him,  and  united  in  fervent  thanksgiving  to 
our  Saviour  for  this  signal  proof  of  his  mercy.  As  long  as 
we  remained  in  Egypt  the  man  continued  to  approve  himself 
a  consistent  follower  of  Jesus." 

Besides  the  Brethren  already  mentioned,  there  were  also 
a  Mr.  Herman  and  a  Mr.  Roller.  Their  work  was  of  a 
desultory  character — only  two  points  seem  to  have  been 
occupied,  Cairo  and  Behnessa.  But  they  visited  Farshut, 
Benisuef,  Manfalut,  Ekhmim,  Girga,  Samalut,  Kolassani, 
Kus,  Abu  Girgha  and  other  places.  Their  instructions  were  : 
"  Not  to  interfere  with  the  ecclesiastical  relations  of  the 
native  Christians,  nor  to  enter  into  discussion  of  polemical 
subjects ;  but  in  all  their  intercourse  to  endeavor  to  direct 
attention  to  the  essence  of  Christianity,  and  to  impart  advice 
to  such  as  listened  to  them  according  to  the  Scriptures  and 
their  own  experience ;  and  teach  them  how,  by  means  of 
Jesus'  merits,  they  might  obtain  rest  for  their  souls,  true 
holiness  of   life,  and  evangelical  liberty,   which   leave  the 


IN  Egypt.  31 

conscience  unfettered  by  human  tradition."  They  strictly 
adhered  to  these  instructions,  and  earnestly  sought  to  turn 
the  hearts  of  those  who  heard  them  to  the  Saviour  for  pardon, 
peace,  and  eternal  life.  How  far  they  were  successful  is 
only  known  at  present  to  Him  who  sees  and  knows  all,  but 
will  be  revealed  to  the  praise  of  the  glory  of  His  grace  at 
Xhe  last  day.  Surely  if  faithfulness  and  zeal  have  their 
reward,  these  Brethren  who  labored  in  Egypt  during  those 
troublous  times  will  not  be  forgotten.  They  made  no 
attempt  to  organize  those  who  accepted  their  teaching  for 
mutual  edification  or  for  work  in  the  Master's  cause,  and, 
therefore,  to  the  human  eye,  after  half  a  century,  nothing 
remained  of  their  work.  Whether  it  would  have  been  pos- 
sible then  to  have  succeeded  in  effecting  any  sort  of  organi- 
zation for  the  service  of  Christ,  and  for  mutual  profit,  we 
cannot  say.  Their  efforts  began  about  1752  and  ended 
about  the  close  of  the  century. 

The  second  recorded  effort  to  do  foreign  mission  work 
in  Egypt  was  in  connection  with  the  Church  Mission  Society. 
I  cannot  do  better  than  to  quote  from  the  "  Gleaner,"  pub- 
lished by  that  Society,  the  following  account  of  its  labors  in 
Egypt  from  18 19  to  the  year  1849  : 

"  After  the  overthrow  of  Napoleon,  the  Mediterranean 
seemed  an  open  highway  for  missionary  effort,  and  in  less 
than  three  months,  after  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  the  Rev. 
W.  Jowett  was  on  his  way  to  Malta.  He  was  to  visit  and 
to  correspond  with  the  ecclesiastics  at  the  head  of  the  differ- 
ent communions,  Greek,  Armenian,  Coptic,  Maronite,  etc., 
with  a  view  to  the  spread  of  education  and  the  circulation  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures.  Among  other  places  visited  by  Mr. 
Jowett  was  Egypt.  He  was  there  for  some  months  in  18 19, 
and  in  1820,  and  again  in  1823,  and  had  much  intercourse 
with  the  priests  and  monks  of  the  Coptic  Church,  the 
Patriarch  giving  him  letters  of  introduction  to  several  of  the 
convents,  and  he  distributed  many  copies  of  the  Arabic 
Scriptures.  One  of  the  most  interesting  results  of  his  visits 
was  the  purchase  of  a  remarkable  manuscript  translation  of 


32  The  American  Mission 

the  Bible  in  Amharic,  the  vernacular  language  of  Abyssinia. 
This  translation  had  been  made  a  few  years  before,  by  the 
French  consul  at  Cairo,  M.  Asselin  de  Cherville,  assisted 
by  an  aged  Abyssinian  monk  named  Abu  Rumi.  The  manu- 
script consisted  of  no  less  than  9,539  pages,  the  whole  writ- 
ten out  by  Abu  Rumi  in  the  Amharic  character.  It  was 
purchased  by  Mr.  Jowett  fur  the  Bible  Society  ;  and  portions 
of  it  were  printed,  many  thousands  of  copies  of  which  were 
afterwards  circulated  by  Gobat,  Kraff,  and  other  Church 
Mission  Society  missionaries  in  Abyssinia.  The  revision  of 
this  version  for  the  Bible  Society  was  one  of  the  tasks  of 
Kraff's  old  age,  and  it  was  finished  only  three  years  ago, 
(i.  e.,  in  1879),  -^'■''-'  printed  at  the  St.  Chrischona  Mission 
Press,  near  Basle." 

At  the  end  of  1825,  five  missionaries  were  sent  by  the 
Society  to  Egypt.  These  were :  Samuel  Gobat  (after- 
wards Bishop  of  Jerusalem),  J,  R.  T.  Leider,  Theodore 
Muller,  William  Kruse,  and  Christian  Kugler.  All  five  were 
Germans  from  Basle  Seminary.  Gobat  and  Kugler  after- 
w'lrds  went  to  Abyssinia  ;  the  rest  traveled  up  and  down 
E^ypt,  visiting  the  Coptic  schools,  distributing  portions  of 
the  Scriptures,  and  making  known  the  true  Gospel. 

Subsequently  they  opened  schools  in  Cairo — one  for 
gills  and  one  for  boys.  In  1833,  a  boarding  school  for  boys 
was  opened  with  ten  pupils  in  attendance.  In  1834,  a  small 
chapel  was  erected.  In  1835,  the  mission  was  interrupted 
on  account  of  a  terrible  visitation  of  cholera.  In  1840,  the 
mission  reported  six  places  in  the  city  where  religious  ser- 
vices were  held  among  the  Copts,  for  the  reading  of  God's 
Word,  with  the  sanction  of  the  Patriarch — who  remarked 
on  one  occasion  that  it  was  better  for  his  people  to  meet  to 
read  the  Scriptures  than  to  drink  arak  and  commit  sin. 

In  all  these  Eastern  missions  the  So(;iety's  ultimate 
object  was  to  reach  the  Muhammadans,  but  the  difficulties  of 
such  a  work  at  that  time  are  illustrated  by  an  incident 
recorded  by  Mr.  Gobat:  "  A  Turkish  woman  having  mar- 
ried a  Greek,  had  the  mark  of  the  Cross  made  on  her  arm. 


> 

a' 

X 


W 


o 


o 


IN  Egypt.  33 

She  was  on  that  account  arrested,  and  on  confessing  herself 
a  Christian,  was  put  into  a  boat  on  the  Nile,  and  her  clothes 
and  ornaments  having  been  stripped  off  and  her  hands  tied 
behind  her  back,  was  thrown  into  the  river  and  drowned." 

In  1835  Muller  retired,  but  Lieder  and  Kruse  remained 
for  many  years.  Little,  however,  was  accomplished  by  the 
Church  Mission  Society  at  that  time  except  the  distribution 
of  many  copies  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  or  portions  thereof, 
and  a  beginning  made  in  the  education  of  the  young.  An 
attempt  was  also  made  to  establish  a  theological  school  for 
the  training  of  Coptic  priests,  but  it  is  said  that  only  one  of 
the  young  men  who  were  under  training  entered  the  service, 
he  being  the  young  priest  who  was  subsequently  appointed 
bishop  of  Abyssinia.  The  chief  reason  for  want  of  success 
was  stated  by»Bishop  Gobat  himself  in  1850,  just  four  years 
before  our  mission  was  begun  : 

"The  missionaries  seem  to  follow  almost  too  strictly  the 
plan  on  which  the  mission  was  begun,  to  seek  the  friendship 
of  the  clergy,  especially  the  higher  clergy,  of  the  Eastern 
Churches,  with  a  view  of  influencing  them  gently,  in  the 
hope  that  by  slow  degrees  they  would  become  convinced  of 
their  errors  and  themselves  reform  their  respective  Churches. 
But  the  system  has  failed,  and  I  am  convinced  that  it  will 
ever  fail  with  the  several  Eastern  Churches,  as  well  as  with 
the  Church  of  Rome.  Individual  conversions  must  be  the 
aim,  as  the  only  means  of  prosecuting  reformation."  He 
further  says,  in  regard  to  the  results  of  the  Church  Mission 
Society's  efforts  in  Egypt : 

"Besides  the  dissemination  of  the  Word  of  God  and 
other  good  books  in  all  parts  of  Egypt,  and  the  scriptural 
though  imperfect  education  of  youth,  the  results  of  the  mis- 
sion are  the  conversion  of  a  few  individuals,  some  of  whom 
have  died  in  the  faith,  a  few  enlightened  young  men 
dispersed  through  Egypt — while  many  members  of  the  dif- 
ferent communities  have  been  led  to  doubt  the  truth  of 
their  superstitions  and  traditions.  Yet  upon  the  whole  it 
must  be  confessed  that  the  Egyptian  Mission  has  not  had  the 
success  which  might  have  been  expected." 


34  The  American  Mission 

Notwithstanding  these  observations  of  Bishop  Gobat,  I 
believe  that  through  the  circulation  of  copies  of  the  Word 
of  God  by  the  Church  Mission  Society  missionaries  through- 
out the  Nile  valley,  hundreds  of  persons  had  their  knowledge 
of  the  way  of  salvation  corrected,  their  faith  directed  away 
from  their  own  works,  to  the  death  and  suffering  and 
obedience  of  the  Son  of  God  as  the  reason  and  ground  of 
salvation  from  sin  and  its  consequences;  and  much  good  seed 
was  sown  which  afterwards  brought  fruit  unto  eternal  life. 
In  the  great  day  when  all  secrets  shall  be  revealed  it  will,  I 
have  no  doubt,  be  found  that  our  mission  has  in  not  a  few 
places  reaped  where  the  Church  Mission  Society  formerly 
sowed. 

About  two  years  before  Brothers  McCague  and  Barnett 
reached  Egypt,  Dr.  Jos.  P.  Thompson,  of  New  York,  visited 
Egypt,  and  wrote  in  his  book  entitled  "Egypt;  Past  and 
Present,"  as  follows : 

"Rev.  Mr.  Lieder  has  done  good  among  the  Copts,  and 
the  young  men  whom  he  has  instructed  refuse  on  conscien- 
tious grounds  to  enter  the  priesthood  of  this  corrupt  Church. 
His  school  for  boys  is  abandoned  for  want  of  means  and 
helpers,  though  Mrs.  Lieder  continues  that  for  girls,  which 
embraces  both  Copts  and  Muhammadans.  The  way  is  open 
then  for  new  agencies  without  infringing  upon  other  men's 
labors  or  undervaluing  their  work.  I  am  happy  to  state  that 
Dr.  Paulding,  the  esteemed  missionary  of  the  Associate 
Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America,  now  at 
Damascus,  contemplates  an  early  removal  to  Cairo,  and  also 
that  the  American  Missionary  Association  has  resolved  to 
establish  a  Mission  among  the  Copts."* 

'     *  Dr.  Paulding  was  married  to  the  sister  of  Dr.  Barnett,  who,  with  Dr. 
McCague,  founded  our  American  Mission  in  Egypt. 


»     .!.    #ti 


MuliaiiKul   Ali. 


IN  Egypt.  35 


CHAPTER  III. 

Condition  of  Egypt  at  the  time  our  Mission  began  in  1854 — Government — 
Society — Muhamiriadans — Copts — Jews — Morals — Slavery. 

Before  entering  upon  the  actual  history  of  our  Mission  in 
Egypt,  it  seems  necessary  to  say  sometliing  about  the  state 
of  the  field  and  the  character  of  the  people,  in  order  to  under- 
stand the  need  for  mission  work,  and  the  difficulties  as  well 
as  duties  of  the  missionary  in  this  particular  field. 

1.  The  Government.  Egypt  had  passed  through 
many  changes  of  rulers  since  Christianity  entered  in  the  first 
century.  The  Romans  as  pagans  dominated  Egypt  until 
Constantine  the  Great,  about  325  A.  D.  Then  the  Romans 
as  Christians  governed  it  until  395  A.  D.,  when  the  Byzan- 
tines ruled  it  until  the  Persians  invaded  and  took  it  in  619, 
only  to  be  expelled  by  Heraclius  after  ten  years'  possession. 
In  638  A.  D.  Amr-Ibn-El-As  conquered  it  for  Muhammadan- 
ism,  which  from  that  time  to  this  has  continued  to  be  the 
prevailing  religion.  There  have,  however,  been  various 
dynasties  and  families  holding  the  reins  of  government :  The 
Abbasides  until  969,  the  Fatimites  until  1 171,  the  Ayyubides 
until  1 3 19,  the  Bahrite  Mameluke  Sultans  until  1361,  the 
Circassian  Mamelukes  till  15 17,  the  Turks  and  their  Mame- 
luke.s  until  1771,  then  the  French  invasion  and  occupation 
from  1798  to  1801.  After  this  the  dynasty  of  Muhammad 
Ali,  which  remains  until  the  present  time.  Muhammad  Ali 
was  born  at  Kavalla  in  Roumelia  in  1769,  and  became  col- 
onel of  an  Albanian  corps  in  Egypt.  He  was  put  forward 
by  the  French  as  a  man  suited  to  counteract  English  influence 
in  the  country.  In  1807  he  frustrated  an  attempt  of  the 
English  to  take  possession  of  Egypt.     After  having  succeeded 


36  The  American  Mission 

in  rcmc'vin^  most  of  his  enemies,  Muiiammad  Ali  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Sultan  governor  of  E;;ypt.  On  March  i, 
iSii,  he  treacherously  assassinated  all  the  Mameluke  beys 
who  thwarted  his  efforts  and  prevented  the  progress  of  the 
country.  He  sent  his  son  to  the  Hajaz  and  humbled  the 
Wahhabii'n.  Though  a  thorough-going  despot,  Muhammad 
Ali  greatly  improved  the  government  of  Egypt,  represseij 
brigandage  and  robbery,  introduced  many  reforms  in  the  s\s- 
tem  of  administration,  and  though  often  severe,  was  on  the 
whole  a  just  ruler,  especially  as  compared  with  those  who 
preceded  him  for  many  centuries.  Eg>pt,  firmly  and  moder- 
ately governed,  enjoyed  "  under  him  a  state  of  peace  and 
good  order,  to  which  it  had  been  a  stranger  for  generations, 
and  attained  a  commanding  position  among  the  surrounding 
nations.  The  pasha  was  not,  however,  without  ambitious 
aims  in  the  direction  of  independence."  So  great  were  his 
resources  that  he  waged  a  highly  successful  war  with  his 
sovereign,  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  took  Syria  and  a  great  part 
of  Asia  Minor,  and  might  have  taken  Constantinople  had  not 
the  European  powers  unjustly  arrested  his  progress.  He  was 
obliged  to  give  up  his  conquests,  which  he  was  far  bettt  r 
qualified  to  govern  than  the  Turk,  but  he  had  secured  f<  r 
himself  and  his  natural  heirs  the  pashalic  of  Egypt.  "  He 
was  succeeded  while  yet  alive  by  his  son  Ibrahim  Pasha  for 
a  few  months.  This  son  was  the  able  commander  of  the 
Egyptian  army  in  the  war  with  Turk.y.  After  him,  in 
1849,  Abbas  Pasha,  a  grandson  of  Muhammad  Ali,  governed 
Egypt.  He  is  said  to  have  been  a  vicious,  brutal  and  rapa- 
cious ruler,  who  tried  to  undo  all  the  good  his  grandfather 
had  accomplished.  He  died  not  without  suspicions  of  vio- 
lence—indeed, it  is  said  that  he  was  strangled  by  his  own 
Kavases."  Abbas  Pasha  was  succeeded  by  Said  Pasha  in 
the  year  1854 — the  very  year  in  which  Brothers  McCague 
and  Barnett  entered  Egypt  and  commenced  mission  work  in 
Cairo.  He  was  a  kind  and  enlightened  prince,  and  had  a 
decided  taste  for  European  civilization.  "  He  equalized  the 
incidence  of  the  taxes,  abolished  monopolies,  improved  the 


IN  Egypt.  37 

canals  and  completed  the  railways  to  Cairo  and  Suez,  which 
had  been  begun  in  1850."  In  view  of  his  liberal  mind  and 
just  reign,  there  had  been  no  such  favorable  time  for  com- 
mencing missionary  work  during  the  previous  1200  years. 
How  different  from  the  time  when  the  Moravian  missionaries 
were  seeking  to  lead  the  Coptic  people  to  purer  views  of 
Christian  doctrine  and  a  higher  plane  of  Christian  life;  for 
they  were  in  constant  dread  of  the  ruling  powers  and  in  con- 
tinual danger  of  being  robbed  or  killed;  but  in  1854  the  lives 
and  property  of  Europeans  were  almost  as  safe  as  under 
European  governments,  and  the  natives  of  the  country  had 
the  fullest  freedom  to  hold  the  religious  beliefs  in  which  they 
were  born  and  trained  ;  or,  if  they  belonged  to  a  Christian 
sect,  to  change  their  views  and  unite  with  any  other  Chris- 
tian sect.  It  was  still  unlawful,  however,  for  a  Muslim  to 
become  a  Christian,  but  anyone  born  and  brought  up  as  a 
Christian  was,  before  the  law,  on  an  equality  with  the 
Muslim — only  the  executors  of  the  law,  being  Muslims,  very 
frequently  favored  the  followers  of  Islam,  and  the  ka  li's 
court  was  still  the  nursery  of  Muhammadan  pride  and  the 
conservatory  of  anathemas  against  Christians  and  Jews. 
Native  Christians  and  Jews  were,  notwithstanding,  quite 
free  to  choose  and  conduct  any  business  in  any  department, 
while  the  houses  of  foreigners  could  not  be  entered,  nor  their 
persons  touched,  by  any  official,  without  the  consent  of  their 
own  consular  authority.  Compared  with  Great  Britain  or 
America,  it  might  be  said  that  much  oppression  still  existed 
in  Eg)^pt,  for  government  officials  carried  on  a  system  of 
petty  plunder  in  the  collection  of  taxes,  and  accepted  bribes 
in  the  decision  of  questions  connected  with  crimes  of  every 
degree  and  character.  Still,  as  compared  with  the  state  of 
things  before  the  days  of  Muhammad  AM,  there  was  much 
improvement  in  the  administration  of  the  government  and 
the  execution  of  the  laws.  Here  I  will  quote  from  the  first 
annual  report  of  the  missionaries  who  first  occupied  Cairo  on 
behalf  of  our  Church — nay,  but  on  behalf  of  Him  who  said  : 
"  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 


38  The  American  Mission 

creature."     It  is  signed  by  James  Barnett  and  Thomas  Mc- 
Cague,  and  is  dated  April,  1855 : 

"In  introducing  you  and  the  Church  to  our  field  of  labor 
we  wish  you  to  look  at  the  whole  of  Egypt,  and  all  the  region 
which  is  contiguous,  especially  the  northeastern  part  of  the 
spacious  continent  of  Africa.  This  vast  compass  embraces 
an  area  of  three  millions  (3,000,000)  of  square  miles, 
blessed  with  a  great  variety  of  climate  and  every  quality  of 
soil,  from  the  richest  loam  deposited  by  the  Nile,  to  the  ever 
shifting  sands  on  the  vast  barren  desert,  and  covered  more 
densely  or  sparsely  with  eight  millions  (8,000,000)  of  inhab- 
itants in  every  stage  of  civilization,  from  the  most  refined 
inhabiting  great  cities  to  the  most  rude  and  sa\'age  wandering 
in  the  howling  wilderness — all  are  marked  in  their  great 
outlines  by  a  uniformity  of  character,  customs  and  manners, 
where  under  regular  government,  oppression  and  rapacity 
prevail  on  the  part  of  the  rulers  and  a  stubborn  submission 
with  an  indolent  careless  life  on  the  part  of  the  ruled.  This 
state  of  things  has  exerted  itself  so  long  that  all  individual 
enterprise  and  self-respect  are  reduced  to  the  lowest  ebb, 
wherever  the  paralyzing  influence  of  despotic  power  has 
been  felt,  and  the  traveler  wanders  over  the  ruins  of  vast 
cities  at  every  stage  of  his  progress,  exciting  his  pity  as  he 
reflects  on  the  sad  changes  which  'man's  inhumanity  to  man' 
has  wrought  during  the  history  of  his  race.  Among  the 
uncivilized  and  wandering  tribes  a  love  of  independence  is 
the  chief  feature,  and  war  and  plunder  are  the  principal 
pursuits  of  life.  Cairo  itself  in  point  of  importance  is  the 
second  city  in  the  Turkish  Empire.  It  is  the  capital  of  Eg\pt, 
containing  from  2 50,000  to  300,000  inhabitants.  It  is  situated 
near  the  Nile,  a  hundred  miles  inland,  south  of  Alexandria 
and  seventy  miles  west  of  Suez  at  the  head  of  the  Red  Sea. 
With  the  former  place  it  has  communication  with  railroad 
and  steamboat,  and  there  is  an  excellent  turnpike  to  the 
latter  which  ere  long  will  give  place  to  a  railway;  while  the 
Nile  affords  ready  facilities  for  easy  and  rapid  intercourse  to 
the  north  and  south  with  the  multitudinous  inhabitants  set- 


IN   EGYPT. 


39 


tied  in  cities  and  villages  all  along  its  fertile  banks.  The 
central  position  which  this  city  occupies  and  the  extensive 
influence  which  it  exerts  on  all  the  surrounding  region, 
makes  it  an  important  advance  post  to  the  missionaries  in 
looking  to  regions  still  beyond  and  further  inland.  Situated 
between  Western  enterprise  and  Oriental  listlessness  and 
inactivity,  it  has  become  a  resort  for  hundreds  of  the  more 
adventurous  Europeans  and  of  refugees  from  despotic 
oppression;  since  for  foreigners  there  is  perfect  freedom  of 
opinion  under  the  government  of  the  Turk.  Being  on  the 
great  thoroughfare  between  the  Eastern  and  Western 
worlds,  twice  a  month  crowds  of  passengers  on  their  way  to 
and  from  India  are  detained  a  day  or  two — and  every  winter 
great  numbers  of  travelers  seeking  pleasure,  wealth  or 
knowledge  spend  whole  months  in  the  country.  The  inter- 
course which  the  natives  are  compelled  to  have,  by  mere 
force  of  circumstances,  with  foreigners,  many  of  them  of  the 
highest  character;  the  passing  events  of  every  da\';  the  stir 
and  active  bustle  of  business  which  they  continually  witness; 
all  this  is  materially  affecting  them,  and  many  are  beginning 
to  awake  to  a  sense  of  the  changes  that  are  coming  over  the 
inhabitants  of  the  land.  Among  these,  infidelity  to  long- 
established  systems  of  false  religion,  if  not  universal  scep- 
ticism, is  becoming  a  prominent  feature,  which,  though  it 
exerts  for  the  time  being  a  deleterious  influence,  seems  to  be 
the  only  road,  by  which  the  long-abused  faculties  of  the 
human  mind  can  be  brought  back  to  the  truths  of  a  pure 
Gospel.  In  all  this  wide-spread  region  so  interesting  in  its 
associations,  and  among  this  vast  number  of  inhabitants  at  a 
time  so  important,  when  everything  is  in  a  transition  state 
th^re  are,  including  ourselves,  only  eight*  Protestant  mis- 
sionaries all  settled  in  lower  Egypt,  and  only  feebly  sustained 
by  fivef  different  societies.  Most  of  the  missionaries  ha\'e 
only  newly  arrived  on  the  field,  and  only  one  is  sufficiently 

*  Lieder,  Laurie,  Kruse,  Martin,  Bamett,  McCague,  Dr.  Philip  and  his 
colleague. 

t  Church  Mission  Society,  Jewish  Mission.  American  A\ission  So- 
ciety, United  Presbyterian  Mission,  and  Scottish  Mission. 


40  The  American  Mission 

acquainted   with  the    vernacular    to   maintain    tlie    formal 
preaching  of  the  Word."* 

The  chief  rchgious  beliefs  of  the  Egyptian  at  the  time 
our  mission  began  were  practically  the  same  as  at  the  pres- 
ent time — the  Muhammadans,  the  Orthodox  Coptic  and  the 
Jewisli?  There  were,  besides,  a  few  Catiiolic  Copts,  and 
some  Orthodox  Greeks,  and  Armenians,  but  missionary 
work  was,  and  has  been,  generally  restricted  to  the  followers 
of  the  three  chief  beliefs  mentioned.  The  Muhammadans 
formed,  perhaps,  nine-tenths  of  the  native  population  of 
Egypt,  while  they  held  the  reins  of  government,  and  all  the 
offices  of  administration — the  Copts  being  employed  only  in 
subordinate  positions,  chiefly,  in  the  capacity  of  clerks  and 
tax-gatherers.  Islam  had  dominated  the  country  so  long 
that  it  had  given  to  the  whole  population  its  social  customs 
and  habits,  moulding  the  whole  body  politic — even  the  hated 
Christians  and  Jews  had,  perhaps  unconsciously  to  them- 
selves, adopted  in  their  homes  and  in  business  much  that 
was  Muhammadan  in  its  origin. 

Soon  after  Muhammad's  death  a  difference  arose  as  to 
his  successor.  By  the  great  majority  Abu  Bakr  was  regarded 
as  the  one  whom  the  Prophet  himself  intended  to  succeed 
him  ;  but  some  considering  that  the  suc<:;.ssion  should  be  in 
the  famil)'  of  Muhammad  himself  held  that  Ali,  the  husband 
of  the  Prophet's  only  surviving  daugiiter  Fatima,  had  the 
right  to  the  Khalifat.  This  gave  rise  to  two  parties  and  to 
subsequent  strife  and  wars.  Tiiose  who  adhered  to  Abu 
Bakr's  claims  were  called  Sunnis ;  those  who  recognized 
All's  claim  were  called  Shiahs.  The  Sunnis,  called  the 
Orthodox  party,  afterwards  divided  into  four  chief  sects,  or 
schools  of  interpretation,  called,  respectively,  the  Hanafiyah, 
the  Shafliyah,  the  Malakiyah,  and  the  Hambaliyah.  The 
Muhammadans  in  Egypt  are  for  the  most  part  Shafiiyahs. 
Besides  these,  there  are  many  other  divisions  among  the 
followers  of  Muhammad ;  some  say  as  many  as  sevent\'- 
three  different  sects,  but  in  all  dealings  with  Christians  they 
are  practically  one. 

•Rev.  James  Bamett 


m 


Slieikli   Ks  Sadat. 


IN  Egypt.  41 

I!.  MUHAMAUDANIS.W  IN  Eg^PT.  In  our  day  it  has 
become  the  custom  in  some  quarters  to  sound  the  praises  of 
Islam,  sometimes  even  at  the  expense  of  Christianity  :  just 
as  a  hundred  years  ago  it  was  impossible  for  the  people  of  the 
West  to  see  anytiiing  in  it  except  license  to  plunder,  oppress, 
and  gratify  the  lowest  of  human  passions.  Some  people 
look  at  it  in  the  light  of  some  of  its  great  doctrines,  such  as 
the  unity  and  spirituality  of  God  ;  rewards  and  punish- 
ments ;  obligations  of  children  towards  their  parents ;  the 
duties  of  prayer  and  almsgiving,  and  the  requirements  of 
justice  ;  and  regard  it  as  the  rival  of  the  Christian  religion. 
Others  look  at  it  through  the  "Suras"*  of  the  Koran, 
and  find  it  a  heterogeneous  collection  and  agglomeration  of 
facts  and  fictions,  superstitions,  and  wild  rhapsodies,  with  a 
few  moral  precepts  pertaining  to  man's  relation  to  God  ; 
and  special  regulations  for  the  subordination  and  treatment 
of  women  ;  and  for  the  division  of  estates,  etc.;  with  many 
uncharitable  declarations,  ejaculations,  denunciations,  and 
threatenings  upon  infidels — the  whole,  the  production  of  a 
brain  unbalanced  and  a  heart  full  of  zeal  and  hate.  Others 
look  at  it  in  the  events  of  history,  in  the  moral  character  and 
actions  of  its  founder  and  its  primal  promulgators,  propa- 
gating its  tenets,  and  establishing  its  power  by  the  sword  ; 
and  sweeping  with  irresistible  force  over  the  East,  the  West, 
the  North  and  tlie  South,  until  it  threatened  the  total  extinc- 
tion of  the  nominal  religion  :  such  generally  look  upon  it 
as  a  plague  and  a  punishment  to  evil-doers,  a  fierce  messen- 
ger of  God  to  take  vengeance  on  those  who  in  the  name  of 
the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus  had  changed  the  truth  into  a  lie, 
and  converted  the  religion  of  divine  grace  into  a  means  of 
lording  over  men's  consciences  and  getting  possession  of 
their  money. 

The  missionary  natural!)'  inquires  less  about  its  origin 
and  past  history  than  about  its  present  ability  to  save  the 
individual,  and  to  regulate  and  purify  society.  The  mis- 
sionary leaves  his  home  with  the  desire  to  save  men  from 
•Chapters. 


42  The  American  Mission 

the  power,  pollution,  and  the  condemnation  of  sin  both  in 
this  world  and  the  next ;  and  he  naturally  asks,  Does  Islam 
save  the  sinner,  and  how  does  it  propose  to  save  him? 
What  is  in  it  to  restrain  the  wicked,  to  help  the  penitent,  to 
relieve  the  oppressed,  to  lift  up  the  downcast,  to  aid  the 
weak,  and  to  encourage  the  sincere  strujn^ler  after  a  higher 
life  to  remain  steadfast  unto  the  end?  What  examples  d<ies 
it  give  of  purity  of  life,  of  crucifixion  of  self,  and  of  deliv- 
erance from  unholy  and  worldly  ambition?  The  missionary 
inquires.  What  is  its  teaching  concerning  God,  man's  relation 
to  God  ;  the  way  to  secure  pardon  and  eternal  life  and  hap- 
piness ;  the  obligations  laid  upon  him  towards  the  Creator, 
and  his  fellow-creatures  in  the  various  relations  of  human 
existence ;  and  what  is  the  present  effect  of  Islam  on  the 
human  heart  and  life,  in  the  home,  in  the  bazaar,  in  the 
courts  of  justice,  and  in  the  palace?  On  inquiry  and  by 
observation  he  finds  that  Islam  like  Christianity  has  its 
doctrines  to  be  believed  and  its  duties  to  be  performed.  It 
has  six  chief  articles  of  belief:  the  unity  (and  splritualit\') 
of  God,  the  angels,  the  inspired  books,  the  inspired  proph- 
ets, the  day  of  judgment,  and  the  decrees  of  God. 

The  Unity  of  God  is  the  foundation  of  the  Muhammadan 
belief.  The  conception  of  the  one  God  filled  the  soul  of  the 
Prophet  of  Arabia  and  inspired  him  with  an  unquenchable 
enthusiasm.  It  impelled  him  not  only  to  determined  and  per- 
sistent opposition  to  all  systems  of  idolatry  and  polytheism, 
but  also  to  the  Trinity  of  persons  in  the  one  God  of  the 
Christians.  As  the  crucifixion  was  a  stumbling-block  to  the 
Jews,  so  the  Trinity  ever  has  been  a  stumbling-block  to  the 
Muslim. 

The  Spirituality  of  God  necessarily  follows  his  unitw 
In  the  Muslim's  conception  of  God  everything  material  is 
eliminated.  In  this  respect  he  is  quite  on  a  par  with  the 
Christian,  and  quite  superior  to  many  Christians,  for  he 
cannot  endure  any  pictures  or  images  of  the  Deity  ;  and  he 
shrinks  from  the  use  of  figurative  language  in  which  human 
organs  are  applied  to  God,  such  as  arms,  eyes,  ears,  etc.,  of 


IN  Egypt.  43 

which  there  is  mucli  in  the  OIJ  Testament  Scriptures.  A 
Muslim  never  says,  "God  is  in  every  place,"  but  rather, 
"  His  knowledge  embraces  every  place," — they  do  not  wish 
to  locate  Him  e\en  in  every  place,  lest  they  might  be  setting 
bounds  to  the  Almigiity. 

A/ijTi'/s.  The  Muhammadans  believe  that  the  angels 
are  formed  of  a  substance  resembling  light,  and  are  endowed 
with  life,  speech  and  reason.  Four  of  them  are  archangels. 
Every  believer  is  attended  by  two  recording  angels,  one 
keeps  a  record  of  his  good  deeds,  and  the  other  of  his  bad 
deeds.  There  are  also  two  angels,  the  one  called  Munkir, 
the  other  Nakeer,  who  examine  all  the  dead  in  their  grax'es. 
The  chief  angel  who  has  charge  of  the  place  of  torment  is 
called  Malik;  nineteen  others  are  associated  with  him. 
Eight  angels  support  the  throne  of  God. 

T/ie  Inspired  Books.  These  are  the  Torah  (the  Penta- 
teuch), the  Prophecies,  the  Psalms,  the  Gospels,  and  the 
Koran.  The  Muslim  professes  to  believe  in  all  these,  but 
insists  that  the  latest,  i.  e.,  the  Koran,  contains  all  that  is 
necessary  for  man  for  this  life,  or  the  life  to  come — while 
most  of  them  assert  that  the  other  books  have  been  tam- 
pered with  by  the  Jews  and  Christians,  and  cannot  be  relied 
on  to  decide  any  question  on  which  there  may  be  difference 
of  opinion  between  the  Muhammadans  and  the  adherents  of 
other  religions. 

Tlie  Inspired  Prophets.  A  prophet,  according  to  Muham- 
madan  parlance,  is  any  one  inspired  of  God.  Muhammad 
is  related  to  have  said  that  there  were  124,000  prophets  and 
315  apostles — the  names  of  twent\-five  are  given  in  the 
Koran.  It  is  said  there  were  three  prophetesses  :  Sarah, 
Abraham's  wife,  the  mother  of  Moses,  and  Mar\-,  the 
mother  of  Jesus. 

The  Day  of  Judgment.  Tliis  is  called  by  various  names, 
such  as  the  day  of  the  resurrection,  the  day  of  separation, 
the  day  of  reckoning,  the  day  of  awakening,  the  encompass- 
ing day,  and  the  hour.  It  is  the  general  belief  among  them 
that  at  the  resurrection  the  body  will  be  raised  up  and  united 


44  The  American  Mission 

to  the  soul,  and  that  one  part  of  the  body,  os  sacnmi,  will 
be  preserved  as  a  basis  for  the  future  bodily  edifice.  The 
time  of  the  resurrection  is  known  only  to  God,  but  the  ap- 
proach of  the  day  may  be  known  from  certain  sio;ns,  some 
called  j^reater  and  some  less;  amono;  the  latter  are  the  decay 
of  islam,  tlie  low  and  ignorant  occupying  high  places,  tumults 
and  seditions;  among  the  former,  the  sun  rising  in  the  West, 
the  appearance  of  the  beast  of  sixty  cubits  high,  the  coming  of 
the  antichrist,  the  descent  of  Jesus  on  earth  the  second 
time,  war  with  the  Jews,  the  appearance  of  Gog  and  Magog, 
and  the  beasts  of  the  field  speaking  human  language.  The 
resurrection  will  be  general,  extending  not  only  to  men,  good 
and  bad,  but  also  to  angels,  genii,  and  animals.  Mankind  in 
the  judgment  will  be  in  three  classes — those  going  on  foot, 
those  riding,  and  those  creeping.  The  first  is  composed  of 
those  whose  good  deeds  were  few,  the  second  those  who  are 
in  great  honor  with  God,  and  the  third  the  infidels,  who  will 
then  be  blind,  deaf  and  dumb. 

The  Decrees  of  God,  or  Predestination,  is  the  sixth  article 
of  the  Muhammadan  faith.  By  this  it  is  taught  that  what- 
ever has  been  or  shall  be  in  the  world,  whether  good  or  bad, 
proceeds  entirely  from  the  divine  will,  and  has  been  irrevo- 
cably fixed  and  recorded  on  a  tablet  by  the  pen  of  fate  and 
preserved  on  high.  This  is  the  plain  teaching  of  the  Koran. 
Among  its  sayings  on  this  subject  are  the  following:  "  No 
one  can  die  except  by  God's  permission,  according  to  the 
book  that  fixes  the  term  of  life."  "  God  slew  them,  and 
those  shafts  were  God's,  not  man's."  "By  no  means  can 
aught  befall  us  but  what  God  has  destined  for  us."  "  God 
misleadeth  whom  He  will,  and  whom  He  will  he  leadeth." 
"All  sovereignty  is  in  the  hands  of  God."  It  is  related  also 
that  Muhammad  taught  that  "God  hath  preordained  five 
things  in  regard  to  his  servants — the  duration  of  life,  their 
actions.their  dwelling  place, their  travels,  and  their  portions." 
"  The  first  thing  that  God  created  was  a  pen,  and  He  said 
to  it,  'Write.'  It  said,  'What  shall  1  write?'  God  said, 
'  Write  down  the  quantity  of  every  individual  thing  to  be 


orf^*?*!**! 


The    ii^lli  Coptic  I'alriarcb. 


IN  Egypt.  45 

created,'  and  it  wrote  all  that  has  been  and  all  that  will  be 
to  eternity. ' '  Many  are  the  treatises  and  books  in  the  Muham- 
madan  literature  on  this  subject. 

There  are  three  well-defined  schools  on  the  decrees. 
First,  the  Gahrians,  or  compulsionists,  who  deny  all  free 
agency  in  man  and  assert  that  he  is  ever  impelled  by  the 
force  of  God's  eternal  and  immutable  decree  to  act  as  he 
does,  without  the  least  choice  in  the  matter;  and  that  God, 
as  the  absolute  Lord  and  Master,  can,  if  He  will,  admit  all 
men  into  Paradise,  or  cast  all  into  everlasting  fire.  Second, 
the  Kadrians,  who  deny  absolute  decrees,  and  say  that  evil 
and  injustice  ought  not  to  be  attributed  to  God,  but  to  man, 
who  is  practically  a  free  agent,  for  God  has  endowed  him 
with  the  power  to  reason,  choose  and  act  according  to  what 
is  pleasing  to  himself.  Third,  the  Ash'arians,  who  maintain 
that  God  has  one  eternal  will,  which  is  applied  to  whatsoever 
He  wills,  both  of  His  own  actions  and  those  of  men  and 
angels — that  He  wills  that  which  He  knows  and  what  is  writ- 
ten on  the  preserved  tablet,  whether  it  may  be  good  or  evil. 
The  common  belief  in  Egypt  approaches  fatalism,  the  free  will 
of  man  and  angels  being  practically  denied.  Often  have  I 
heard  the  Muslim  excuse  an  evil  deed  in  himself  or  another 
by  saying  :     "It  was  written  ;  it  was  decreed  ;  it  had  to  be." 

I  have  given  this  brief  summary  of  the  articles  of  the 
Muhammadan  faith  without  any  attempt  at  approval  or  dis- 
approval, but  solely  to  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the 
system. 

I  will  now  mention  briefly  the  chief  observances  required 
of  those  persons  who  profess  the  faith  of  Islam.  The  most 
important  duties  required  of  the  Muhammadans  are  five,  viz.  : 

1.  The  recital  of  the  creed. 

2.  The  observance  of  the  five  stated  seasons  of  prayer 
every  day. 

3.  The  fast  of  thirty  days. 

4.  The  giving  of  the  legal  alms. 

5.  The  pilgrimage  to  Mecca. 


46  The  American  Mission 

1.  The  Creed.  This  is  very  brief.  It  is  literally  trans- 
lated, "  There  is  no  God  but  God,  and  Muhammad  is  the 
Apostle  of  God  "  It  is  said  by  Muhammadans  that  the  first 
part  of  the  creed  has  been  held  and  recited  by  all  true 
believers  from  the  beginning  of  the  world;  but  the  second 
part  of  it  has  been  different  in  different  ages  of  the  v^'orld  and 
changes  in  accordance  with  the  circumstances  of  each  dis- 
pensation. At  the  time  of  Moses  until  the  coming  of  Christ 
it  was,  "  and  Moses  is  the  servant  of  God."  At  the  time  of 
Christ  and  until  the  appearance  of  Muhammad  it  was,  "  and 
Esa  (Jesus)  is  the  Spirit  of  God."  From  the  time  of 
Muhammad  until  the  end  of  the  world  it  is,  "and  Muham- 
mad is  the  Apostle  of  God."  No  one  is  considered  to  be 
converted  to  Islam  until  he  formally  and  religiously  repeats 
the  creed  in  the  following  form  :  "I  testify  that  there  is  no 
God  but  God,  and  Muhammad  is  the  Apostle  of  God," 
Whenever  this  testimony  has  been  thus  made  by  anyone, 
he  is  regarded  as  a  true  Muslim.  This  is  the  initiatory 
ordinance  in  the  Muhammadan  system,  just  as  baptism  is  the 
initiatory  ordinance  of  the  Christian  religion.  Whenever  a 
Christian  is  about  to  declare  himself  a  Muhammadan  this 
initiatory  ordinance  is  attended  with  public  manifestations  of 
joy,  such  as  marching  through  the  streets,  chanting  passages 
from  the  Koran,  and  making  opprobrious  ejaculations  con- 
cerning the  faith  of  the  Christians  and  Jews. 

2.  TJic  five  stated  seasons  for  prayers  every  day  are 
the  early  dawn  of  the  morning,  when  the  sun  has  just  began 
to  dfcline  at  noon,  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  immt-d- 
iatcly  after  sunset  and  an  hour  and  a  half  after  sunst-t.  The 
greater  number  of  Muslims  do  not,  however,  observe  all  these 
times,  prayer  at  the  early  dawn  being  often  omitted  by  many 
who  observe  the  other  stated  hours.  Many  also  seldom  pray 
at  all,  unlesss  it  may  be  during  the  month  of  fasting  when 
it  is  most  generally  observed  by  the  men.  Not  many  women 
ever  pray.  Prayer,  with  the  Muslim,  is  for  the  most  part 
mere  repetition  of  the  first  chapter  of  the  Koran,  and  other 
passages  from  their  Scriptures;    and   that,  too,  in   a   fixed 


IN   EG^PT. 


47 


order,  and  with  certain  bodily  inflexions  and  movements  cor- 
responding to  the  passages  repeated.  No  deviation  from  the 
prescribed  order  of  bodily  movements  is  allowed.  Prayer 
must  be  preceded  by  ablution  in  water,  if  possible,  otherwise 
with  clean  sand.  The  hands,  feet,  face,  mouth  and  nostrils 
are  carefully  washed.  No  doubt  this  requirement  has  a 
refreshing  influence  in  these  hot  countries  and  prepares  a 
man  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  devotional  exercises. 

There  is  nothing  like  secret  prayer  in  the  Muhammadan 
system — prayer  in  their  own  homes  is  quite  common,  but  it  has 
nothing  of  the  characteristics  of  secret  prayer  in  the  Christian 
religion.  It  is  not  the  uprising  of  the  hungry  soul  towards 
Him  who  can  fill  it  with  what  it  needs,  it  is  not  secret  com- 
munion with  the  Heavenly  Father,  it  is  not  the  soul  pouring 
out  its  tale  of  sorrow,  or  trial,  or  sin,  or  gratitude  to  Him 
who  since  He  was  in  all  points  tempted  as  we  are,  is  able  to 
succor  them  that  are  tempted.  In  the  estimation  of  the 
Muhammadan  prayer  in  the  congregation  is  of  much  more 
virtue  than  prayer  in  the  home,  or  in  retirement.  The  out- 
ward form,  too,  must  be  rigidly  observed  in  secret  as  well  as 
in  public,  and  all  the  appointed  preliminaries  carefully 
observed  in  the  one  as  in  the  other.  The  value  of  prayer  is 
considered  to  be  very  great,  and  this  act  of  devotion  is 
punctiliously  performed  by  the  many,  but  as  Dean  Stanley 
says:  "  The  ceremonial  character  of  prayer  is  carried  to  a 
pitch  beyond  the  utmost  demands  of  Rome  or  Russia.  It  is 
reduced  to  a  mechanical  act  as  distinct  from  a  mental  act, 
beyond  any  ritual  in  the  West.  It  is  striking  to  see  the 
figures  along  the  banks  of  the  Nile  going  through  their  pros- 
trations at  the  setting  of  the  sun  with  the  uniformity  and 
regularity  of  clockwork,  but  it  resembles  the  worship  of 
machines  rather  than  of  reasonable  beings."  If  form  and 
regularity  be  the  essence  of  prayer,  then  the  Muhammadan 
stands  very  high ;  but  if  it  be  the  freedom  of  loving  com- 
munion, then  he  stands  very  low.  He  needs  the  injunction 
of  the  Saviour  as  much  as  did  the  Jews  :  "  But  thou  when 
thou  prayest  enter  into  thy  closet,  and  when  thou  hast  shut 


48  The  American  Mission 

thy  door,  pray  to  th\'  Father  which  is  in  secret ;  and  thy 
Father  which  seetli  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly." 

3.  The  month  of  fasting  is  a  very  important  part  of 
practical  religion  with  the  Muslim.  As  lunar  months  make 
the  Muhammadan  >ear,  the  month  of  fasting  comes  earlier 
every  )ear  and  in  the  course  of  about  thirty  years  w  ill 
again  begin  at  the  same  period  of  our  solar  year.  When 
the  fast  falls  in  summer  it  is  a  heavy  trial,  especially  on 
those  who  are  compelled  to  work  or  to  be  in  the  sun  all  da\-, 
since  it  is  unlawful  to  eat,  drink,  or  smoke,  or  do  anything 
for  the  ease  or  gratification  of  the  body  from  early  daw  n 
until  the  sun  goes  down.  Even  cold  water  is  denied  them. 
This  in  summer  is  a  very  difficult  prohibition  to  observe,  and 
1  ha\e  no  doubt  that  many  suffer  from  the  want  of  water ; 
w  hile  others  are  driven  to  break  their  fast  in  secret  while 
they  make  an  outward  appearance  of  observing  it.  The  value 
of  fasting  is  held  to  be  very  great.  It  becomes  practically  the 
ground  of  forgiveness  with  God.  "  The  fi\'e  stated  prayers 
erase  the  sins  which  have  been  committed  during  the  inter- 
vals between  them  if  they  have  not  been  mortal  sins." 
"  Every  good  act  that  a  man  does  shall  receive  from  ten  to 
seven  hundred  rewards,  but  the  reward  of  fasting  is  for  God 
alone  and  he  will  gi\'e  its  rev\ards." 

Although  they  pretend  to  be  fasting  during  the  thirty 
days  of  Ramadan,  yet  during  this  month  Muhammadans  eat 
more,  drink  more,  revel  more,  and  indulge  all  bodil)' passions 
more,  and  quarrel  more  than  during  any  other  month  in  the 
year ;  for  night  is  turned  into  day,  and  feasting  and  re\-elry» 
continue  until  the  night  is  far  spent ;  and  yet  this  is  consid- 
ered to  be  a  service  of  God,  the  pure  Spirit  ! 

4.  The  giving  of  alms  is  the  fourth  duty  of  Muham- 
madans. It  is  greatly  extolled  in  the  Koran  and  in  all 
Muhammadan  literature.  The  proportional  amount  to  be 
given  in  alms  is  said  to  be  one-fortieth  part  of  the  person's 
income.  Many  give  much  more  than  this,  but  little  dis- 
crimination is  made  in  the  giving  of  alms.  The  public  beg- 
gars, many  of  whom  are  not  needy,  but  conduct  their  begging 


C<>i)tic  Catholic  Mclropolilan. 


IN  Egypt. 


49 


as  a  business,  which  is  often  more  profitable  than  work  ; 
these  through  their  importunity  get  the  largest  share,  while 
the  needy  and  suffering  are  neglected.  Homes  for  the 
widows  and  the  orphans  and  the  aged  are  unknown,  and 
though  this  want  is  partially  supplied  through  the  kindness 
of  relatives,  who  according  to  the  customs  of  the  country 
feel  obliged  to  render  assistance,  still  in  many  cases  there  is 
great  suffering  among  these  unfortunates  whom  the  public 
alms  never  reaches. 

5.  The  fifth  duty  incumbent  upon  the  Muslim  is  the 
pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  their  Holy  City  and  the  place  where 
their  prophet  is  buried.  Only  ill  health,  slavery,  or  inability 
to  bear  the  expense  of  the  journey  can  release  the  Muslim 
from  this  obligation.  The  pilgrimage  is  to  be  made  during 
the  last  month  of  the  Muhammadan  year  or  during  the  feast 
of  the  sacrifice,  two  months  after  the  month  of  Ramadan. 
Very  strict  injunctions  are  to  be  observed  as  to  the  dress  and 
conduct  during  the  pilgrimage.  Great  merit  is  acquired  by 
performing  this  journey  in  the  prescribed  manner ;  but  the 
omission  of  this  duty,  while  the  man  has  the  ability  to  per- 
form it,  is  a  mortal  sin.  The  Prophet  is  reported  to  have 
said  that  "  He  who  makes  the  pilgrimage  for  God's  sake  and 
does  not  talk  loosely,  nor  act  wickedly  by  the  way,  shall 
return  as  pure  from  sin  as  the  day  on  which  he  was  born. 
Verily  it  puts  away  poverty  and  sin  as  the  fires  of  a  forge 
remove  dross.  The  reward  of  a  pilgrimage  is  paradise. 
When  you  see  a  pilgrim,  salute  and  embrace  him,  and 
request  him  to  ask  pardon  of  God  for  you,  for  his  own  sins 
have  been  forgiven  and  his  supplication  will  be  accepted." 

Such  were  the  chief  tenets  and  religious  requirements 
of  the  religion  of  nine-tenths  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Nile 
valley  when  our  first  missionaries,  McCague  and  Barnctt, 
arrived  in  Egypt,  near  the  close  of  1854.  In  looking  at  this 
religion,  whether  in  the  pages  of  the  Koran  or  the  lives  of  its 
devotees,  they  could  not  help  instituting  a  comparison 
between  it  and  the  Christian  religion.  They  found  that 
there  are  many  points  of  contact   between   the   Muhamma- 

3 


50 


The  a.werican  Mission 


danism  of  the  Koran  and  the  Christianity  of  the   scriptures 
of  the   Old   and   New   Testaments,  and  it  was  a  matter  for 
thankfuhiess  to  find   such   close   resemblance   between   the 
Muhammadan's  conception  of  the   unity   and   attributes   of 
God   and  that  of  the  Christian.     But  it  seemed  stranj^e  to 
them,  as   it  does  to   us  to  find  such  utter  incompatibility 
between   that  conception   of  God   and  the  kind  of  service 
which  is  required  by  the  Koran  to  be  rendered  to  this  God, 
who  is  all  spirit.     The  utter  formalism  and  evident  want  of 
spirituality  in  the  Muhammadan  worship  of  a  spiritual  God 
are   patent  to  every  one.     Our  first  missionaries  could  not 
help  seeing,  also,  two  conspicuous  omissions  in  the  Muhamma- 
dan teachin^^ :     There  is  no  mention  of  the  fall  of  man  and 
the  corruption  of  his  nature  through  sin,  and  no  mention  of 
any  atonement.     The  doctrine  of  the  Incarnation  is  missing, 
and  indeed  with  the  denial  of  the  Trinity  there   is   no   pos- 
sibility  for   its    exiiJtence.     Therefore    the    Muhammadans 
know  n(jthing  of  the  Saviour  who  is  able  to  save  the   sinner 
from  his  sins,  whether  as  to  their  legal  and  just  penalty,  or 
their  actual  widespread  power  and  pollution  in  his  heart  and 
in  his  life.     The   missionaries   soon   learned   that  whatever 
might  be  the  doctrines  and  injunctions  of  Islam,  it  did  not, 
notwithstanding  that  all  the  officials  were  Muslims,  either 
produce  good  government  or  restrain  unholy  passions  among 
the   people,  or  despotic  and  unjust  acts  among  the  rulers. 
They  found  that  society  was  utterly  corrupt,  and  business 
carried  on  by  deceitful  practices,  and  the  courts  characf^rizeJ 
by   corruption   and   bribery.      They   soon   discovered   that 
whatever   virtues  were  fostered  by  Islam  they  were  not  of 
the  humble  and  tender  kind.     It  might  boast  of  valor  and  a 
kind  of  hospitality  and  justice,  but  it  knew  little   of  tender- 
ness, humility,  and  philanthropy.     It  shut  up  in  their  homes 
one-half  of  the    inhabitants,    taught   them   that   they   are  a 
lower  order  of  beings,  created  by  God  for  the  convenience, 
the  pleasure  or  the  profit  of  the  other  half.     They  found  Islam 
utterly  opposed  to  the  idea  of  religious  liberty.     With  it  the 
Muslim    was   everything,  before  God,  before  the  kadi,  and 


IN   tGYPT.  51 

before  the  civil  ruler.  Christianity  and  Judaism  only  existed 
by  a  kind  of  sufferance,  and  their  professors  were  the 
objects  of  opprobrium,  hate  and  ridicule.  As  a  system, 
unrestrained,  Islam  fosters  pride,  passion,  and  hate  towards 
those  who  profess  another  faith.  Education  in  its  schools 
rather  increased  this  feeling,  while  the  ignorant  populace 
were  taught  by  their  learned  men  to  regard  themselves  as 
infinitely  better  than  any  Jew  or  any  Christian.  The 
mosques  were  generally  the  hotbeds  of  fanaticism,  and  the 
sheikhs  and  the  learned  men  were  the  foremost  in  opposing 
the  kind  treatment  of  other  religionists.  The  usual  manner 
of  speaking  of  the  Christian  then  was  to  call  him  "that 
Christian  pig";  and  the  Jew,  "that  dog  of  a  Jew."  The 
title  deed  of  property  bought  by  either  Jew  or  Christian  in 
its  description  of  the  bu\er  used  to  run  thus  :  "  So  and  so, 
the  damned,  the  son  of  So  and  so,  the  damned."  Since  the 
days  of  Muhammad  Ali  Pasha,  this  and  similar  manifestations 
of  hate,  were  gradually  discontinued,  however ;  but  our  first 
missionaries  found  in  many  places  the  traces  of  it  remaining. 
In  early  times  foreigners  were  especially  liable  to  ill-treat- 
ment and  all  manner  of  extortion.  It  was  this  that  forced 
the  European  powers  to  exact  from  the  Porte  special  treaties, 
known  as  the  Capitulations,  by  which  foreigners  are 
exempted  from  amenability  to  Muhammadan  courts,  and  are 
allowed  the  privilege  of  being  judged  by  their  own  consuls  ; 
an  arrangement,  which,  in  the  course  of  time,  gave  rise  to 
many  irregularities,  and  to  the  oppression  of  many  nati\-es 
in  the  interest  of  rapacious  foreign  money  lenders  and 
unscrupulous  consuls — until  the  Khedive  Ismaeel,  through 
his  far-seeing  minister,  Nubar  Pasha,  secured  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Mixed  Tribunals.  The  Muslims,  however,  were 
the  persons  to  blame  at  the  outset. 

Slavery  was  a  legal  institution  in  Egypt  when  the  mis- 
sionaries came,  and  the  slave  trade,  with  all  its  horrors,  was 
in  active  operation.  Sla\'e  markets  for  blacks  and  also  for 
whites  were  to  be  found  in  Alexandria,  and  were  in  a  flour- 
ishing condition  in  Cairo  ;  except  that  those  for  whites  were, 


52  The  American  Mission 

by  the  government  orders,  kept  more  secluded,  so  that  the 
vulgar  throng  could  not  see  the  Circassian  beauties,  from 
whom  the  pashas  and  beys  recruited  their  harems.  But 
those  for  the  blacks  were  open  to  all,  and  at  all  hours  of  the 
day  would-be  purchasers  might  look  around  among  the  human 
chattels,  who,  though  in  filth  and  half-naked,  yet  in  their 
ebony-skinned  bodies  had  souls  that  felt  their  oppression  and 
yearned  for  friends  and  native  land.  The  American  mission- 
ary, however,  at  that  time  could  say  little  against  that  system 
of  iniquity,  since  it  was  still  flourishing  in  the  boasted  land 
of  liberty,  under  "  the  stars  and  stripes."  Slavery,  though 
perhaps  in  a  milder  form  in  Egypt  than  in  America,  not  only 
was  the  cause  of  great  wrong  to  the  enslaved,  but  the  occa- 
sion also  of  great  corruption  in  the  homes  of  the  people,  and 
made  female  domestic  labor  a  disgrace.  Even  to  this  day  it 
is  next  to  impossible  to  secure  the  services  of  an  unmarried 
woman  to  do  housework.  The  disgrace  is  not  in  doing  the 
work,  but  the  system  of  slavery  has  left  the  impression  in 
the  community  that  girls  in  domestic  service  cannot  be  vir- 
tuous, and  therefore  all  chances  of  their  securing  a  home  to 
themselves  are  lost. 

Polygamy,  the  twin  sister  of  barbarism,  was  of  course 
practiced,  then  as  now,  by  all  who  could  afford  this  means  of 
gratifying  their  desires,  and  where  this  was  impracticable, 
many  men  resorted  to  frequent  divorces,  a  practice  which 
Islam  allows  almost  without  any  restriction.  Still,  1  have  no 
doubt  that  some,  then  as  now,  retained  their  first  wif^  until 
her  death,  if  she  was  blessed  with  male  offspring.  There 
are  often  so  many  difficulties  in  the  way  of  divorcing  a  wife 
with  children  that  the  practice  is  somewhat  restricted ;  yet 
one  has  only  to  visit  the  kadi's  court  occasionally  to  become 
aware  of  the  fact  that  women  have  no  rights  that  can  stand 
in  the  way  of  the  rage,  or  the  passion,  or  the  pleasure  of  the 
lords  of  creation.  It  not  unfrequenly  happens  that  a  man 
gets  angry  over  a  trifle,  and  declares  to  his  wife,  "  1  ha\e 
divorced  thee."  Sometimes  he  is  sorry  for  it  within  a  few 
hours,  and  takes  advantage  of  the  privilege  allowed  him  by 


Anniui;in   I'atriarcli. 


IN   EGYPT.  53 

his  religion  to  take  her  back  once,  and  again  the  second 
time,  after  divorce.  In  nothing  does  Islam  appear  worse 
when  compared  with  Christianity  than  in  its  treatment  of 
women.  It  is  true  that  many  of  them  know  of  nothing  better 
for  them  than  to  be  tiie  slaves  of  tlie  men.  But  there  are 
many,  too,  who  see  the  vast  difference  between  themselves 
and  Christian  women,  and  freely  confess  ittotiie  missionary 
ladies  who  visit  them.  Wiiile  there  are  some  noble  excep- 
tions, the  number  of  which  I  would  fain  hope  is  increasing, 
yet  in  ninety-nine  out  of  every  hundred  homes  the  women 
occupy  the  position  of  menials,  and  are  addressed  and  treated 
as  such,  with  no  regard  to  their  bodily  comfort  or  their  feel- 
ings. Being  liable  to  be  divorced  at  any  time,  it  is  not  their 
interest  to  preserve  the  property  and  economize  the  means 
of  their  husbands,  but  rather  to  secure  as  much  as  possible 
and  pass  it  over  secretly  to  their  own  relatives,  in  case  of 
future  necessity  ;  for  the  divorced  wife  is  always  thrown 
back  upon  her  own  relatives.  Peace,  harmony  and  happiness 
in  the  homes  of  the  Egyptians  were  and  are,  of  a  very 
transitory  nature.  From  the  missionary  standpoint  then, 
McCague  and  Barnett  saw  the  Egyptian  field  a  very  needy 
one,  and  whether  in  regard  to  the  present  life  or  the  future, 
saw  the  Muhammadans  in  great  need  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus' 
Christ,  which  is  a  gospel  of  pardon,  peace,  purity,  righteous- 
ness and  true  wisdom — a  gospel  whose  angelic  message  rang 
out  the  words  at  the  birth  of  the  Saviour,  "  Gloryto  God 
in  the  highest  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men." 
No  wonder  the  pioneers  of  our  mission  worked  and  prayed, 
and  urged  the  Church  at  home  to  send  to  Egypt  this  gospel 
of  love,  pardon  and  eternal  life. 

III.  The  Copts.  The  other  important  religious  body  of 
natives  in  Egypt  when  our  missionaries  arrived  was  the 
Coptic  Church.  The  Copts  themselves  are,  beyond  all 
doubt,  the  purest  representatives  of  the  ancient  Egyptians. 
The  race  has  not,  however,  been  preserved  very  pure,  for, 
with  all  the  precautions  and  prejudices  against  marriage  with 
foreigners,  the   blood  of  the  Egyptians  has  for  ages   been 


54  The  American  Mission 

mingled  more  or  less  with  that  of  the  darker-skinned  tribes 
of  the  upper  Nile,  as  well  as  with  that  of  their  whiter  con- 
querors. Yet  it  cannot  be  denied  that  in  the  general  outlines 
of  features,  and  in  disposition  and  temperament,  the  Copts 
are  more  like  that  people  whose  profiles  are  car\'ed  on  the 
temple  walls,  or  who  followed  in  the  processions  in  the  days 
of  Cleopatra,  than  any  other  class  of  people  in  the  valley  of 
the  Nile,  whether  above  or  below  the  first  cataract.  It  is 
also  to  be  remarked,  however,  that  the  physical  difference 
between  the  Copts  and  the  Muhammadans,  outside  of  the 
large  towns  where  intermarriage  with  other  tribes  has  taken 
place,  is  very  small  indeed,  almost  imperceptible.  This  is 
to  be  expected,  because  the  Egyptians,  who  were  all  Copts 
at  the  time  of  the  MuhammaJan  conquest,  left  their  Chris- 
tian faith  in  large  numbers,  through  oppression  and  promises 
of  favor,  and  professed  Islam  ;  so  that  the  great  majority  of 
Muslims  in  the  Nile  valley  are  the  descendants  of  the  ancient 
Egyptian  race,  almost  as  much  as  the  Copts  themselves.  At 
the  time  our  missionaries  arrived,  the  dress  of  the  Copts  was 
generally  of  dark  colors,  either  brown,  blue,  or  black,  whether 
it  was  the  turban  or  the  long-flowing  robe.  No  respectable 
Copt  in  the  large  towns  would  then  allow  himself  to  be  mis- 
taken for  a  Muslim  by  wearing  a  white  turban,  even  had  he 
been  allowed  to  do  so  ;  but  in  the  villages  there  were  no 
such  distinctly  marked  lines.  Indeed,  the  dress  of  the  Coptic 
women  was  not  distinguishable  from  that  of  their  Muham- 
madan  sisters.  Generally,  the  Copt  had  the  cross  tatooed 
on  the  back  of  his  hand  or  his  arm.  Of  course,  the  names 
of  the  Copts  were,  for  the  most  part,  distinguished  clearlx- 
from  those  of  the  Muslims,  except  in  a  few  cases,  such  as 
Abraham,  David,  Moses,  Joseph,  etc.,  which  are  common  to 
both.  A  larger  proportion  of  Copts  than  Muhammadans 
could  read  and  write,  the  position  of  scribes  in  the  various 
departments  of  the  government  being  generally  held  by  the 
Copts.  Unlike  the  Muhammadans,  who  seldom  in  those 
days  tasted  intoxicants,  the  Copts  almost  universally  drank 
freely  of  spirituous  liquors  ;  a  habit  which  still  prevails  among 


IN  Egypt.  55 

them,  but  not  to  such  an  extent  as  formerly — while  the  op. 
posite  is  true  of  the  Muslims,  who,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  are 
becoming  more  and  more  addicted  to  the  use  of  alcoholic 
drinks.  The  following  description  of  the  Coptic  Church  is 
compiled  from  articles  written  about  the  year  1855  : 

"  The  Copts  are  very  proud  of  their  eccLsiastical 
system.  They  boast  that  their  ritual  is  the  m(;.;t  ancient 
Christian  ritual  in  existence.  They  reckon  in  their  list  of 
saints  an  evangelist,  with  many  of  the  most  celebrated  of 
the  fathers  and  doctors.  They  stigmatize  as  heretical  the 
communions  of  Greece  and  Rome,  and  they  regard  with 
intense  hatred  those  of  their  countrymen  who  recognize  the 
authority  of  the  Pope  or  the  Byzantine  Patriarch.  They 
attend  with  zeal  upon  the  celebration  of  their  sacred  rites ; 
are  careful  that  their  children  shall  be  early  trained  to  the 
practice  of  prayer  in  the  Church,  and  esteem  the  orders  of 
the  clergy  very  highly.  The  Church  though  it  has  fallen 
from  its  former  greatness  and  become  sadly  diminished  in  its 
numbers,  yet  it  must  embrace  not  less  than  250,000  in  its 
communion.  Historically  it  is  a  monastic  church.  The 
beginnings  of  monastic  life  we-ein  the  deserts  on  the  borders 
of  Egypt,  and  the  hermits  and  cenobites  of  the  Thebaid  and 
the  Red  Sea  coast  gave  the  example  and  the  impulse  to  all 
subsequent  developments  of  Christian  asceticism.  The  head 
of  the  Coptic  Church  is  the  Patriarch  of  Alexandria,  but  he 
spends  the  greater  part  of  his  time  in  Cairo.  He  has  a  large 
revenue  from  the  numerous  houses  and  estates  which  have 
in  the  course  of  many  generations  come  into  the  possession 
of  the  Church  through  purchase  or  gift.  He  holds  office 
for  life  and  is  selected  from  monks  designated  by  the  Superior 
of  the  Convent  of  St.  Anthony,  near  the  gulf  of  Suez.  He 
must,  of  course,  be  unmarried,  and  must  continue  his  monastic 
customs  and  habits  even  though  occupying  this  exalted  posi- 
tion. The  Patriarch's  authority  is  supreme  and  often 
dospotic.  He  appoints  the  Metropolitan  of  the  Abyssinian 
Church,  and  compels  him  to  go  to  that  distant  region  whether 
he  wills  or   not.      Next  in  rank  to  the  Patriarch   are   the 


56  The  American  Mission 

bishops  ;  who,  when  their  number  is  full,  are  twelve.  Below 
the  bishops,  who  also  must  be  monks,  are  the  arch-priests; 
who  are  sometimes  at  the  head  of  the  convents,  and  are 
sometimes  chosen  directly  from  the  order  of  the  priesthood. 
Their  functions  correspond  to  those  of  archdeacons  in  the 
Episcopal  churches  of  the  West.  Next  to  these  are  the 
priests,  who  may  be  married,  provided  the  marriage  has 
taken  place  before  their  ordination.  If  the  wife  of  a  priest 
should  die  he  is  not  allowed  to  marry  again,  in  accordance 
with  their  interpretation  of  i  Timothy  3  : 2.  The  priests 
are  not  compelled  to  abstain  from  secular  labor.  Many 
supplement  their  income  by  engaging  in  some  trade  or  pro- 
fession. Under  the  priests  are  the  deacons,  who  are  chosen 
to  serve  the  priest  and  aid  in  the  chanting.  They  are 
generally  mere  boys.  Both  priests  and  deacons  receive 
ordination  from  the  hands  of  the  bishop  or  the  Patriarch. 
The  Coptic  convents  were  formerly  very  numerous, 
numbering  336  according  to  their  tradition.  At  present  their 
number  is  comparatively  small,  and  the  monks  have  lapsed 
into  secular  habits.  None  of  them  care  for  learning,  and 
few  of  them  are  noted  for  piety.  They  are  generally  ignor- 
ant, dull,  stupid  and  addicted  to  the  free  use  of  alcoholic 
drinks,  which  they  manufacture  from  the  date.  The  Copts 
attach  the  greatest  importance  to  baptism,  and  perform  the 
rite  by  dipping  the  child  three  times  into  water  which  has 
received  a  few.  drops  of  consecrated  oil.  Though  immer- 
sionists,  they  perform  infant  baptism,  and  have  no  sympathy 
with  what  the  Baptists  of  the  West  call  believers'  baptism. 
They  think  and  teach  that  a  child  dying  with(jut  baptism 
will  be  blind  in  the  next  v/orld,  in  accordance  with  their 
understanding  of  John  3:3:  *  Except  a  man  be  born  again 
he  cannot  scr  the  kingdom  of  God.'  They  also  practice 
circumcision  on  children  on  reaching  the  age  of  seven  years, 
though  this  practice  is  not  universal.  The  Psalms  of  Da\'id 
are  committed  to  memory  by  the  young,  and  are  repeated  in 
the  form  of  prayers  by  adults.  Some  of  the  more  pious  are 
said  to  repeat  the  whole  150  Psalms  once  every  day.     Their 


Greek  Patriarch  Sophronius. 


IN  Egypt.  57 

church  service  is  long,  lasting  about  three  hours,  and  con- 
sists of  reading,  chanting,   praying,  accompanied  with  the 
burning  of  incense,  the  beating  of  cymbals,  and  the  proces- 
sion of  the  host  around  the  church.    The  cross  is  conspicuous 
everywhere,  and  before  it  the  people  bow  and  mutter  cer- 
tain expressions  of  adoration.     The  language  used  is  for  the 
most  part  the  old  Coptic— the  mass  being  always  conducted 
in  this  sacred  language.     The  dress  of  the  clergy  officiating 
is   gayly   ornamented,  and   the  vestments   and   head-dress 
seem  to  be  imitations  of  those  worn  by  the  Jewish  priest- 
hood.   The  confessional  is  nearly  as  important  in  the  Coptic 
Church  as  in  the  Roman  Catholic,  and  transubstantiation  is 
the  universal  belief.     The  Copt  is  taught  to  say,   '  I  believe, 
I  believe,  I  believe  that  this  bread  is  the  very  flesh  and  blood 
of  the  body  of  Christ,  that  was  born  of  the  blessed  virgin.' 
The  most  important  of  all  duties  with  the  Copt  is  fasting. 
Practically  this  is  the  ground  of  pardon,  and  the  necessary 
means  of  salvation.     The  regular  seasons  of  fasting  occupy 
more  than  half  of  the  year.     There  is  the  great  fast  in  the 
spring,   which  instead  of  occupying  forty  days,   as  in  the 
other  Christian  sects,  has  been  lengthened  to  fifty-five  days. 
Then  there  is  the  fast  of  the  nativity,  the  fast  of  the  apostles, 
thefastof  the  virgin,  the  fast  of  Jonah,  etc.  During  these  fasts 
there  is  daily  service  in  the  Church.     Fasting  with  the  Copts 
does  not,  however,  consist  in  total   abstinence  from  all  food 
or  drink,  either  during  the  day  or  during  the  night,  but  only 
the  avoidance  of  certain  kinds  of  food  or  drink,  especially 
animal  flesh  and  milk  and  butter.     Different  fasts  have  their 
special  injunctions  in  this  respect.     Strange  to  say,  intox- 
icants are  among  the  drinks  allowed  ;  on  what  principle  I 
cannot  conceive.     There  are  seven  principal  festivals,  those 
which  commemorate  respectively  the  nativity,  the  baptism, 
the  triumphal  entry,  the  resurrection,  the  ascension,  pente- 
cost  and  the  annunciation  of  the  virgin.     The  clergy  are 
almost  all  ignorant,  there  being   no   means  for    instructing 
them.     They  are  chosen  on  account  of  a  fine  voice,  or  high 
stature— the  thought  of  mental  or  religious  qualification  has 


58  The  American  Mission 

seldom  any  place.  Many  of  them  drink  to  excess,  and 
whenever  a  feast  is  made  for  the  entertainment  of  a  bishop 
or  a  priest  it  is  always  a  time  for  the  liberal  use  of  Arab 
whiskey.  The  Copts  have  a  convent  in  Jerusalem  and  a 
chapel  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  Pilgrimage  to 
Jerusalem  is  regarded  as  highly  meritorious,  and  the  C^pts, 
generally,  are  firm  believers  in  the  holy  fire.  Coptic 
churches  are  generally  decorated  with  gaudy  colors,  and 
numerous  pictures  of  saints  adorn  the  walls.  The  most  con- 
spicuous are  St.  George  and  the  Dragon,  St.  Paul,  St. 
Anthony,  and  St.  Macarius.  In  general  the  Copts  are  a 
simple-minded,  devout,  religious  people,  with  great  reverence 
for  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  The 
Church  Mission  Society  missionaries  have  done  something 
towards  giving  them  the  Scriptures  in  the  vernacular.  They 
greatly  needed  it,  for  they  know  almost  nothing  of  the  way 
of  salvation  by  faith  in  a  crucified  Sa\iour,  or  of  the  necessity 
of  a  change  of  heart  through  the  Holy  Spirit,  or  of  Christian 
life  in  union  with  the  risen  Saviour.  The  mass  is  the  aton- 
ing sacrifice,  the  priest  is  the  forgiver,  the  saints,  and 
especially  the  virgin,  the  intercessors,  fasting  the  mortification 
of  the  flesh,  baptism  regeneration,  the  consecrated  oil  the 
Holy  Spirit.  \n  many  respects  the  Copts  know  as  little  of 
the  true  way  of  salvation  as  the  Muhammadans,  and  need 
the  Gospel  just  as  much."  * 

Such  was  the  Coptic  Church  and  such  were  the  Coptic 
people  when  the  American  missionaries  landed  in  Egypt  in 
1854.  Christian  in  name,  Christian  in  form,  it  was  well 
typified  by  the  mummied  human  body  taken  out  of  the 
tombs.  Externally  a  perfect  body,  but  no  intelligence  in  the 
head,  no  motion  in  the  limbs,  no  life  in  the  heart,  wound  up 
in  memories  of  fathers  and  councils,  waiting  for  the  Lord  to 
say  to  some  earnest  souls,  "  Prophesy  upon  these  twnes, 
and  say  unto  them,  O !  ye  dry  bones,  hear  the  Word  of 
the  Lord.  •  •  •  Come,  O  breath,  and  breathe  upon 
these  slain,  that  they  may  live." 
•  American  Cyclopedia,  &c. 


IN  Egypt. 


59 


As  will  appear  further  on,  the  condition  of  the  Coptic 
people  was  not  caused  by  any  want  of  aptitude  to  learn,  or 
unwillingness  to  attend  to  religious  services,  but  arose  from 
their  environments  during  centuries  of  oppression.  Perse- 
cuted, despised,  forbidden  or  denied  the  means  of  education 
for  themselves  and  their  clergy,  obliged  to  employ  all  sorts 
of  shifts,  and  often  cunning  and  deceit,  to  save  themselves 
from  the  malice  of  their  enemies,  they,  year  by  year,  gave 
themselves  up  to  formalism,  adding  to  what  they  considered 
the  crucifixion  of  the  flesh,  imitating,  though  unconsciously 
it  may  be,  the  Muslims  in  their  ideas  of  practical  religion, 
and  forgetting  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  But  they  were  ready, 
as  the  sequel  will  show,  to  learn  this  duty  from  the  Word  of 
God,  and  to  turn  from  dead  works  to  ser\'e  the  living  God. 
As  late  as  1882  I  visited  a  place  on  the  side  of  the  desert  in 
the  southern  provinces,  and  found  one  of  our  enlightened, 
earnest  Coptic  workers  teaching  the  men  the  little  book 
which  begins,  "  Who  made  you  ?  "  "  Who  redeemed  you  ?  " 
etc.  I  expressed  to  him  my  surprise.  He  replied  that  they 
knew  just  as  little  about  the  Christian  religion  as  little  chil- 
dren, and  therefore  must  be  taught  in  the  same  way.  Yet 
they  had  been  born  and  baptized  in  the  Coptic  Church,  and 
kept  its  fasts  and  feasts,  and  attended  its  services  all  their 
lives.  To  carry  the  Gospel  to  such  a  people  was  like  carry- 
ing it  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel — it  was  a  duty, 
and  came  to  be  a  pleasure. 

The  other  sects  in  Egypt  at  tiie  time  our  mission  was 
established  were  the  Greek  Orthodox,  the  Roman  Catholic, 
the  Coptic  Catholics  and  a  few  Armenians,  all  holding  to  the 
traditions  and  the  prayer-books,  doing  nothing  to  circulate 
the  Scriptures,  either  among  their  own  people  or  others. 

The  Jews,  who  might  number  a  few  thousands  in  Cairo 
and  Alexandria,  had  a  missionary  working  among  them,  but 
with  great  discouragement,  and  it  was  not  many  years  till 
the  Society  gave  up  the  effort  as  fruitless. 

From  this  brief  sketch  of  the  character  and  religions  of 
the  Egyptians  in  1854,  the  reader  will  see  the  necessity  for 


6o  The  American  Mission 

establishing  a  Christian  mission  in  the  Nile  valley,  and  will 
be  prepared  to  understand  some  of  the  difficulties  with  which 
the  missionaries  have  had  to  contend,  and  to  appreciate  the 
measure  of  success  with  which  their  labors  have  been 
blessed. 


f*SjK^ 


Roniaii  Catholic  ratriarch. 


IN  Egypt.  6i 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Establishing  of  our  Mission— Circumstances  leading  thereto — When  and 
by  whom. 

There  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any  thought  in  the 
minds  of  the  members  of  the  home  Church,  or  of  the  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions  itself,  of  establishing  a  new  mission  in 
Egypt,  or  extending  the  limits  of  the  Damascus  mission  so 
as  to  include  Egypt,  until  the  reception  of  a  letter  from  Dr. 
Paulding  of  the  mission  just  mentioned,  addressed  to  the 
General  Synod  of  the  West,  at  its  annual  meeting  in  1853. 
The  writing  of  this  letter  was  in  consequence  of  a  visit  he 
made  to  Cairo  in  the  winter  of  1851-52.  This  visit  appears 
to  have  been  made  entirely  in  the  interest  of  his  own  health 
which  was  then  beginning  to  fail  him.  Thus  in  the  provi- 
dence of  God,  who  overrules  all  things  for  good,  and  directs 
the  movements  of  his  people,  whether  in  sickness  or  in 
health,  for  the  promotion  of  His  own  glory,  it  was  after  Dr. 
Paulding  had  visited  Egypt  and  been  benefited  by  its  mild 
climate,  and  seen  with  his  eyes  the  needy  field  and  open 
door,  that  he  returned  to  Damascus  and  wrote  a  forci- 
ble letter  to  the  GeneraP  Synod  of  the  West,  urging  the 
Church  at  home  "to  open  a  new  station  in  Cairo";  for  thus 
the  missionaries  then  in  Damascus  seem  to  have  put  it,  at 
any  rate  it  is  thus  stated  in  all  Rev.  James  Barnett's  letters, 
written  about  that  time.  Thus  it  appears  that  Dr.  Pauld- 
ing's sickness  was  the  incipient  cause  that  led  to  the  estab- 
lishing of  the  American  Mission  in  Egypt.  So  true  is  it  that 
God  uses  our  sickness  and  our  health,  our  weakness  and  our 
strength,  our  joys  and  our  sorrows,  to  work  out  His  own 
purposes  of  mercy  or  judgment  as  may  seem   pleasing  to 


62  The  American  Mission 

Himself.  How  ready  then  should  we  be  to  do  or  to  suffer, 
to  abide  or  to  go  away,  as  we  may  be  directed  by  His  Word, 
His  Spirit  or  His  providence.  The  chief  reasons  urged  by 
the  missionaries  for  the  opening  of  mission  work  in  Cairo 
can  be  gathered  from  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  to 
the  Board,  signed  by  Messrs.  Barnett,  Paulding,  and  Frazier, 
dated  at  Damascus,  1853  : 

"  It  is  with  great  thankfulness  that  we  record  that  his 
(Dr.  Paulding's)  health  has  been  much  better  during  the 
past  winter  than  any  previous  one.  It  is,  in  fact,  to  be 
attributed  to  his  absence  during  the  previous  winter  in 
Egypt  and  its  thorough  re-establishment  during  the  past 
summer,  but  especially  to  the  unexampled  mildness  of  our 
present  winter.  But  the  latter  part  of  the  winter  has  again 
brought  back  an  attack  of  the  same  disease  of  the  chest. 
This,  with  previous  experience,  has  determined  him  to 
leave  the  mission  in  this  city  at  as  early  a  date  as  the 
necessary  arrangements  can  be  made,  with  the  design  of 
commencing  a  new  station  in  Cairo,  Egypt,  should  the 
Synod  concur  in  our  views  of  establishing  a  new  mission 
in  that  place.  It  is  supposed  that  the  climate  of  Cairo 
will  agree  with  his  constitution,  and  that  by  his  remaining 
there  he  may  avoid  the  necessity  of  leaving  the  Mission 
field  altogether,  by  going  to  America.  He  has  drawn 
up  a  letter  on  the  subject  and  forwarded  it  to  the  Board, 
with  the  request  that  they  bring  the  letter  or  the  subject 
of  it  before  the  Synod.  Our  number  here  is  increas- 
ing, and  now  we  are  all  capable  of  taking  an  active  part  in 
the  public  preaching  of  the  word  of  everlasting  life.  Mr. 
Porter  has  taken  part  in  the  services  during  the  past  year. 
The  two  new  missionaries,  Messrs.  Frazier  and  Lansing, 
have  so  successfully  prosecuted  their  studies  that  they  are 
also  now  ready  for  occasionally  taking  part  in  th.e  public 
exercises.  But  the  openings  of  the  door  in  this  city  at 
present  are  not  sufficient  for  us  all  to  do  all  we  are  able, 
and  all  we  ought  to  do  on  missionary  ground.  We  are  say- 
ing, '  the  place  is  too  strait  for  us,  give  place  to  us  that  we 


!N  Egypt.  63 

may  dwell  and  work  more  efficiently  for  the  great  purpose 
of  the  Church  of  God.'  *  *  *  For  the  advantageous 
position  at  Cairo  and  its  prospects  as  a  mission  station,  we 
would  refer  to  the  letter  already  alluded  to.  Frequent 
illusions  have  been  made  to  other  places  at  different  times  as 
points  for  a  new  station,  but  the  preponderating  sentiment  is 
now  in  favor  of  Cairo  above  all  others. 

"  There  is  another  circumstance  also.  The  commotions 
of  the  people  and  the  government  which  have  been  occurring 
in  our  immediate  neighborhood  are  events  with  which  we,  on 
account  of  their  frequency,  are  becoming  familiar,  and  they 
do  not  fill  us  with  that  alarm  which  people  at  a  distance,  and 
unaccustomed  to  the  like  and  unacquainted  with  our  rela- 
tions, might  suppose.  But  while  we  write  we  are  daily 
hearing  of  the  disturbed  state  of  the  Turkish  empire  at  the 
north.  All  look  for  its  dismemberment  or  some  great  com- 
motion as  just  at  hand.  We  have  not  seen  a  week  for  a 
month  past  without  some  new,  more  stirring  and  more  for- 
tuitous rumors  and  revelations  respecting  the  doings  of 
councils  and  cabinets  in  reference  to  Turkey,  ever  vague, 
exaggerated  and  contradictory,  and  most  tantalizing  to  any 
lover  of  the  truth.  All  may  be  settled  in  the  council  cham- 
bers of  nations,  but  most  consider  war  as  inevitable,  and  a 
war  involving  the  whole  of  the  great  Powers  of  Europe. 
This,  if  it  does  come,  may  last  for  some  years  before  all 
matters  are  settled.  Rather  than  be  called  home,  we  would 
prefer  to  make  a  stay  in  Egypt,  which  will  not  likely  be  the 
scene  of  battle — a  kind  of  refuge  to  the  Church  in  troublous 
times — if  Providence  should  call  us  to  '  hide  ourselves  as  it 
were  for  a  little,  until  the  indignation  be  overpast,'  while 
*  the  Lord  cometh  out  of  His  place  to  punish  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth  for  their  iniquity.'  " 

From  this  lengthy  extract  it  appears  that  there  were  sev- 
eral reasons  actuating  the  missionaries  in  asking  the  Church 
at  home  to  commence  mission  work  in  Cairo,  (i)  to  retain 
the  services  of  Dr.  Paulding  in  the  Lord's  work  on  the  for- 
eign field ;  (2)  to  secure  another  place  of  labor  for  a  part  of 


64  The  American  Mission 

the  missionary  force  then  in  Damascus,  as  there  were  too 
many  workers  for  the  work  that  could  be  undertaken  there  ; 
(3)  to  afford  a  refuge  for  the  missionaries  during  the  impend- 
ing troubles  in  Turkey.  (4)  It  was  also  urged  that  the  field 
in  Cairo  was  open,  and  was  needy,  and  that  tiie  state  of 
Egypt  was  favorable  for  missionary  operations.  Which  was 
the  strongest  reason  in  the  minds  of  the  missionaries,  or 
which  had  the  greatest  force  with  the  Church  at  home  and 
the  Board,  cannot,  perhaps,  be  known  ;  but  the  General 
Synod  at  its  meeting  in  Allegheny,  May  21,  1853,  took  the 
following  action  :  "That  our  missionaries  be  instructed  to 
occupy  Cairo  at  their  earliest  possible  convenience."  The 
Synod  authorized  the  Board  also  to  send  out  additional  mis- 
sionaries. 

For  some  reason  the  missionaries  at  Damascus  did  not 
immediately  respond  to  the  action  of  the  Synod  by  sending 
some  of  their  number  to  Egypt,  though  they  must  have 
received  the  authorization  of  the  Synod  in  the  autumn  of 
1853.  It  might  have  been  that  the  efforts  to  establisii  special 
schools  for  training  young  men  and  young  women  occupied 
their  time  and  required  all  their  force,  so  that  no  one  for  the 
time  could  be  spared  ;  or  it  migiit  have  been  that  the  gather- 
ing cloud  of  war  in  the  northern  horizon  made  them  feel  like 
sticking  together  as  long  as  they  safely  could,  for  self-protec- 
tion and  encouragement.  Their  number,  too,  was  reduced 
by  the  return  to  America  of  Mr.  Frazier  with  his  motherless 
babe.  Be  the  reasons  what  they  may,  it  was  not  until  late 
in  1854  that  one  of  their  number  reached  Cairo,  and  not 
until  after  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  in  obedience  to  the 
instructions  of  the  Synod,  had  appointed  a  new  man  and 
sent  him  out  to  this  field.  This  new  appointee  was  the  Rev. 
Thomas  McCague.  He  was  born  in  Ripley,  Brown  count}', 
Ohio,  on  December  25,  1825.  He  was  left  motherless  at 
the  early  age  of  two  years  and  fatherless  at  se\en,  but  as  he 
himself  says  :  "  Psalm  27  :  10  had  its  fulfilment  in  my  case  : 
'  When  my  father  and  mother  forsake  me  then  the  Lord  will 
take  me  up.'"     A  good  home  was  provided  for  him  on  a 


ID 

be 

ra 
O 
u 


i 

I 


'  V 


a; 


IN  Egypt.  65 

farm  in  Adams  county,  Ohio,  with  an  uncle  and  aunt, 
"whose  names,  Oliver  and  Margaret  Miller,"  he  says, 
"will  never  be  forgotten  by  me."  Here  were  spent  the 
happy  days  of  his  youth,  away  from  the  temptations  of  city 
or  village  life.  Here  he  was  taught  regular  attendance  at 
divine  worship,  under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Robert  Stewart. 
Here  first  began  the  deep  longings  and  concealed  breathings 
after  the  Saviour,  a  public  profession  of  love  to  Him  and  the 
work  in  the  foreign  field.  This  last  desire  was,  perhaps, 
vague  at  first,  and  perhaps  mingled  with  a  touch  of  romance, 
but  it  culminated  in  the  realistic  and  joyful  experience.  He 
prosecuted  his  studies  one  year  at  Ripley,  Ohio,  three  years 
in  the  Academy  of  South  Salem,  Ohio,  and  three  years  in 
Jefferson  College,  Pennsylvania.  From  Jefferson  he  went 
to  Oxford  Theological  Seminary  and  studied  theology  under 
the  Rev.  J.  Claybaugh,  D.  D.  He  made  a  public  profession 
of  his  faith  in  and  love  for  Christ  under  the  Rev.  James 
Caskey.  While  he  was  still  in  the  Theological  Seminary, 
his  preceptor  informed  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  that  he 
would  probably  accept  an  appointment  to  the  foreign  field  if 
it  were  offered  to  him.  Soon  after  he  received  a  communi- 
cation from  the  Board  on  the  subject,  and  after  mature  and 
careful  consideration  he  answered  favorably.  The  Board 
then  formally  appointed  him,  but  without  determining  at  the 
time  to  what  particular  field  they  would  send  him.  Towards 
the  end  of  August,  1854,  he  came  on  to  Pittsburgh,  and  there 
met  with  the  Board,  under  the  presidency  of  Rev.  J.  T. 
Pressly,  D.  D.  The  president  said  to  him,  "  Mr.  McCague, 
we  will  give  you  your  choice  of  fields  ;  either  you  may  go  to 
Syria,  where  we  have  our  missionaries  already  at  work,  or 
you  may  go  to  Egypt,  to  a  new  field."  To  this  he  responded 
at  once,  "Then  I  will  go  to  Egypt."  In  his  "Egypt 
Revisited,"  he  says,  "  I  have  never  had  reason  to  regret 
my  choice,  but  every  reason  to  praise  God  for  the  privilege 
of  beginning  the  foreign  mission  work  in  Egypt,  especially 
when  we  see  its  wonderful  growth  and  development  through 
others." 


66  The  American  Mission 

Mr.  McCague  was  accompanied  by  his  wife,  Henrietta 
M.,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Ann  Lowes,  of  Warren 
county,  Ohio.  She  was  born  in  the  county  just  mentioned 
on  May  20,  1832.  Her  father  was  an  elder  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  The  earlier  part  of  her  life,  whether  in 
school,  or  in  the  home  of  her  parents,  or  in  teaching,  was 
well  spent  as  preparatory  to  a  life  work  in  the  mission  field, 
at  home  or  abroad.  Her  education,  beginning  at  Oxford, 
Ohio,  was  completed  at  the  academy  in  South  Salem,  Ohio. 
The  foreign  mission  work  was  brought  to  her  attention  in 
early  youth,  and  continued  to  press  itself  upon  her  till  she 
was  called  to  enter  upon  it,  in  1854.  She  made  a  public 
profession  of  her  faith  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  united  with 
the  Presbyterian  church  at  Somerset,  under  the  pastoral  care 
of  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Edwards. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  any  account  of  their 
leaving  their  homes  and  their  friends  in  Ohio — the  parting 
with  dear  ones,  to  take  what  then  was  considered  a  journey 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  to  spend  their  lives  among  an  un- 
educated and  non-Christian  people.  They  reached  Pitts- 
burgh on  their  journey  east  about  the  middle  of  August,  1854, 
and  met  with  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  The  following 
sketch  of  the  farewell  meeting  held  in  Dr.  Pressly's  church 
will  be  interesting :  "  On  the  afternoon  of  the  22d  of 
August,  1854,  the  female  missionary  societies  connected 
with  our  congregations  in  and  about  the  two  cities  (Allegheny 
and  Pittsburgh)  met  in  Dr.  Pressly's  church,  and,  after 
religious  exercises  suited  to  the  occasion,  were  introduced  to 
the  missionaries.  All  hearts  were  touched  by  the  exercises 
and  intercourse  of  that  day,  and  lively  interest  was  excited 
in  the  missionaries  personally,  as  in  the  great  cause  to  which 
they  have  consecrated  their  lives. 

"  The  exercises  on  the  23d,  in  the  same  place,  were  more 
particularly  to  set  apart  to  his  work  the  newly-appointed 
missionary,  Rev.  Thomas  McCague.  After  an  appropriate 
sermon  by  the  Rev.  Alex.  Young,  from  Acts  28:  7,  last  clause 
("  Who  received  us  and  lodged  us  three  days  courteously  "), 


IN  Egypt.  67 

Mr.  McCague  came  forward  and  publicly  avowed  his  desires 
and  aims  in  engaging  in  the  missionary  work,  in  answer  to 
questions  proposed  by  the  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Agency, 
and  by  him  was  solemnly  set  apart  to  the  work  by  prayer. 
The  exercises  were  closed  with  a  brief  and  impressive  address 
by  Rev.  Robert  Gracey." 

A  similar  meeting  was  held  in  Philadelphia  on  September 
14,  at  which  were  present  also  other  missionaries,  Rev. 
James  A.  Frazier  and  his  second  wife  returning  to  Damascus, 
and  Miss  S.  B.  Dales,  a  volunteer  and  the  pioneer  lady  mis- 
sionary of  our  Church,  going  to  the  same  place  for  the  first 
time.  On  September  30,  1854,  these,  with  Rev.  and  Mrs. 
McCague,  were  accompanied  to  the  steamer  "  City  of  Man- 
chester "  by  a  few  relatives  and  friends,  where  a  parting 
service  was  held,  of  which  a  contemporary  paper  says  : 

"  Dr.  Dales  commenced  the  exercises  by  a  reference  to 
the  solemnity  of  the  occasion,  and  two  verses  of  the  67th 
Psalm  were  sung.  Rev.  T.  H.  Beveridge,  of  the  Third  Associ- 
ate church,  Philadelphia,  engaged  in  prayer ;  after  which  Rev. 
Francis  Church,  missionary  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland 
to  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  addressed  the  missionaries  in  an 
appropriate  and  feeling  manner.  After  a  few  pertinent  and 
interesting  remarks  by  Rev.  M.  Wylie,  of  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian Church,  and  a  parting  prayer  by  Rev.  J.  T.  Cooper, 
of  the  Second  Associate  church,  the  meeting  was  closed  by 
singing  the  23d  Psalm,  and  the  benediction.  Parting  saluta- 
tions were  then  received  by  the  missionaries  as  their  friends 
left  the  cabin  for  the  shore,  and  they  departed,  followed  by 
the  prayers,  hopes  and  expectations  of  the  many  friends 
whom  they  left  behind." 

The  steamer  left  the  same  day,  and  the  missionaries 
soon  saw  the  hills  and  dales  of  the  dear  land,  in  which  so 
many  friends  and  relatives  were  left,  fading  away  from  their 
view  in  the  dim  distance.  A  few  hours  after  their  departure 
Mrs.  McCague  came  near  losing  her  life.  The  incident,  as 
related  by  Miss  Sarah  B.  Dales  to  her  brother,  is  as  fol- 
lows: 


68  The  American  Mission 

"When  walking  out  to  tea  and  selecting  our  seats  at 
table,  we  were  directed  by  the  steward  to  pass  round  the 
lower  end  of  the  table  and  take  seats  on  the  opposite  side. 
1  had  been  forward,  but  stepped  back  a  little  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Cague  led  us.  Just  as  she  turned  the  corner  and  looked  so 
smilingly  at  us,  she  plunged  into  the  open  hatchway,  and 
fell  a  depth  of  twelve  feet,  or  two  stories.  An  unseen  Eye,^ 
however,  was  there,  and  an  unseen  Arm  to  preserve.  A 
man,  just  at  the  moment  of  her  falling,  was  passing  the  spot 
where  she  descended  and  caught  her  in  his  arms.  Had  he 
not  been  there  she  must  have  been  killed  by  falling  on  the 
timbers,  or  going  to  the  bottom  of  the  hold.  Was  this  not  a 
special  and  remarkable  interposition  of  Providence  ?  Imag- 
ine, if  you  can,  our  feelings  as  we  stood  waiting  to  see  her 
brought  up!  All  were  in  perfect  consternation  and  agony. 
In  a  few  minutes  she  was  brought  up  in  perfect  safety,  with 
the  exception  of  some  bruises.  We  took  her  to  the  ladies' 
cabin,  and  wept  tears  of  ioy  that  she  was  yet  ours.  That 
scene  as  we  encircled  her  wifl  not  soon  be  forgotten." 

After  a  rough  passage  across  the  Atlantic,  they  reached 
Liverpool  on  October  1 3,  1854.  On  Sabbath,  the  i6th,  they 
attended  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  heard  Rew 
McMullan  preach  "a  most  excellent  gospel  sermon,"  and 
accepted  his  invitation  to  commemorate  the  death  of  the 
Saviour  with  his  people  by  participating  in  the  ordinance  of 
the  Lord's  Supper.  They  sailed  on  the  steamship  "  Orontes" 
on  the  19th  of  October  for  Alexandria,  Egypt,  which  they 
reached  on  November  10.  Here  the  company  parted.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McCague,  kindly  met  by  a  Scotch  missionary  by 
the  name  of  Brown,  sent  out  to  work  among  the  Jews,  wit-re 
taken  by  him  ashore,  and  found  a  temporary  home  with  Dr. 
Philip,  of  the  Scotch  Missionary  Society  for  the  conversion 
of  the  Jews.  With  him  they  remained  a  few  days  and  then 
left  for  Cairo,  taking  the  railway  as  far  as  Kafr-el-Zey\at, 
on  the  Rosetta  branch  of  the  Nile,  for  that  was  the  terminus 
of  the  railway  at  that  time ;  thence  they  went  by  steamer 
on  the  Nile  to  Bulac,  the  port  of  Cairo,  reaching  it  on  Novem 


!N  Egypt.  69 

ber  15,  1854.  Mrs.  McCague  says:  "  It  was  just  a  little 
after  sunrise  when  we  landed  at  Bulac.  Consul  de  Leon 
was  on  the  steamer  with  us.  At  Bulac  Mr.  McCague  put 
me  on  a  van  in  the  care  of  the  consul,  with  instructions  to 
leave  me  at  Shepheard's  hotel.  When  we  reached  the  hotel 
we  found  it  full,  so  I  was  taken  to  Williams'  hotel  and  intro- 
duced by  the  consul  to  Mr.  Williams'  mother  and  aunt.  The 
latter  always  took  a  kind  interest  in  our  welfare,  and  brou;:;ht 
Mr.  Williams'  daughter  and  a  Mary  Page  to  our  English 
service.  A  front  room,  looking  on  the  Ezbakiyah,  was  given 
me,  and  I  sat  down  at  a  window,  watching  for  Mr.  McCague, 
who  had  stayed  at  the  boat-landing  to  get  off  our  trunks  and 
boxes.  It  seemed  to  me  1  watched  and  waited  a  long  time, 
but  when  he  did  appear  in  sight  it  made  such  a  deep  impres- 
sion that  1  can  see  him  still  coming  up  the  street,  walking 
beside  a  long,  low  bullock  cart,  on  which  was  piled  our  lug- 
gage. We  ate  our  breakfast,  and  then  Mr.  McCague  took  a 
donkey  and  went  out  to  find  Mr.  Lawrie,  to  whom  he  had  a 
letter  of  introduction  from  Dr.  Philip,  of  Alexandria.  Mr. 
Lawrie  gave  him  a  kind  welcome.  His  wife  had  gone  back 
to  England,  with  no  intention  of  returning.  His  invitation 
to  lodge  with  him  we  were  glad  to  accept,  as  we  did  not  want 
to  pay  hotel  bills.  We  removed  to  his  house  next  day.  A 
few  days  after  we  heard  that  Rev.  James  Barnett  was  on  his 
way  from  Damascus,  to  take  up  his  residence  in  Cairo,  so 
we  spent  the  interval  in  making  a  beginning  at  the  study  of 
the  language." 

I  regret  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  secure  any  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McCague's  letters,  written  at  that  time  to  their 
friends  at  home.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  something 
of  their  feelings  in  crossing  the  great  Atlantic  and  steaming 
along  the  Mediterranean,  where  Paul  was  tossed  about  for 
many  days,  and  then  shipwrecked  on  the  island  of  Malta. 
Especially  satisfying  would  it  be  to  know  something  of  their 
thoughts  during  the  three  weeks  they  spent  in  Cairo  before 
they  were  joined  by  Rev.  James  Barnett.  Were  they  dis- 
appointed ?     Did  they  feel  sad,  and  lonely,  and  helpless  ? 


70  The  American  Mission 

One  can  imagine  them  thankful  to  a  kind  Master  v\ho  had 
cared  for  tliem  all  along  their  journey  by  sea  and  by  land, 
and  raised  up  for  them  friends  at  various  places,  and  finally 
brought  them  in  safety  to  the  place  which  they  had  been  It-d 
to  choose  as  the  field  of  labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 
Lonely,  as  they  thought  of  the  dear  relatives  and  Christian 
friends  and  acquaintances  far  away,  intercourse  with  whom 
Vv'ould  now  be  impossible  for  many  years,  perhaps  forever, 
except  by  the  slow  and  tedious  mode  of  letter-writing  ; 
helpless,  as  they  found  themselves  in  the  midst  of  a  people 
of  strange  customs,  strange  manners,  strange  religion  and 
strange  language,  and  in  a  city  in  whose  narrow,  filthy, 
crooked  streets  they  had  never  trod  before,  but  would  have 
to  tread  for  how  long  they  could  not  tell.  How  dear !  how 
near !  how  precious  was  the  Saviour  to  them  that  first 
night  in  Cairo  as  they  communed  with  Him  alone  of  all 
friends  they  had  known  before,  and  poured  out  their  hearts 
to  Him  before  they  retired  to  rest.  Was  it  not  in  view  of 
such  circumstances,  as  well  as  others,  that  the  Saviour 
coupled  with  the  great  commission,  binding  to  the  end  of 
time,  that  precious  promise,  "  Lo  !  1  am  with  you  alway, 
unto  the  end  of  the  world  "  ?  On  the  24th  of  November, 
1854,  just  nine  days  after  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCague  reached 
Cairo,  Rev.  James  Barnett,  of  our  Damascus  mission,  left 
the  scene  of  his  labors  in  that  ancient  city  and  set  out  for 
Egypt  to  enter  upon  the  Lord's  work  there.  He,  accompanied 
by  a  talented  Syrian,  called  Gabrian  Shahat,  arrived  in 
Cairo,  according  to  his  own  statement,  on  December  5, 
1854,  and  was  also  kindly  received  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lawrie. 
Thus  it  appears  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCague  preceded  Mr. 
Barnett  only  twenty  days.  The  former  had  the  honor  of 
being  first  on  the  ground  ;  but  of  course  they  were  ignorant 
of  the  language,  as  well  as  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
people,  and  were  unable  to  do  any  missionary  work  for  a 
considerable  time.  The  latter  came  to  the  Egyptian  field 
with  over  ten  years'  experience  and  with  a  knowledge  of  the 
/anguage,  so  that  he  could,  and  did,  immediately  enter  upon 


vi 


IN  Egypt.  -i 

the  work  for  which  the  mission  was  established.  Rev. 
(afterwards  Dr.)  James  Barnett,  then  laid  the  first  stones  in 
the  spiritual  edifice  and  sowed  the  first  seeds  of  divine  truth 
in  Cairo,  in  connection  with  the  American  Mission.  By  these 
two  brethren  and  Mrs.  McCague  the  work  of  our  mission 
was  begun  in  Cairo— a  work  which  has  now,  by  the  blessing 
of  God,  extended  to  many  places  all  through  the  Nile  valley, 
and  has  been  the  means  of  saving  many  souls,  gathering 
many  companies  of  believers,  establishing  many  schools, 
diffusing  secular  as  well  as  religious  knowledge  far  and  wide,' 
and  aiding  in  giving  the  Egyptian  nation  a  start  on  the  road 
to  enlightenment  and  freedom. 


72  The  American  Mission 


CHAPTER  V. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  Mission  up  to  December  31,  1857. — Mr.  Leider, 
of  the  Church  Mission  Society,  still  in  Cairo — His  chief  work — Mr.  Lawrie. 
missionary  to  the  Jews — House  secured  by  Messrs.  Barnett  and  McCague — 
tiiglish  service  and  Arabic  also  commenced — Also  prayer  meetings — Mission- 
aries visiting  places  and  persons — Cholera  in  i8ss— Mr.  Barnett's  prayer — 
Rebellion  in  upper  Egypt — Crimean  War — Assassination  of  Abbas  Pasha- 
Opening  of  Boys'  School— Disappointments— Mr.  McCague  ill— A\r.  Barnett 
in  Syria,  i8s6 — Arrival  of  Mr.  Lansing — Determination  to  occupy  Alexandria 
— Description  of  a  Sirocco — Messrs.  Lansing  and  A\cCague  go  up  the  Nile  to 
Asyut — Visit  the  Faiyum — Death  of  Mr.  A\cCague's  child — A\essrs.  Lansing 
and  McCague  go  to  Syria,  i8s7 — Work  opened  in  Haret-es-SaUkain — A\r. 
Lansing  takes  up  his  residence  in  Alexandria  on  Ras-el-Tin — Other  A\ission 
efforts  in  Alexandria— Boys'  School  and  A\r.  Hogg— Girls'  School  and  Miss 
Pringle— Proposals  for  united  efforts. 

In  the  preceding  chapter  we  have  seen  how  the  Lord 
in  His  providence  directed  the  Church  at  home  to  undertake 
work  for  the  Master  in  the  Nile\alley  ;  and  how  the  Church, 
following  the  leadings  of  Providence,  sent  a  new  man  with 
his  wife  from  America,  and  transferred  an  experienced  mis- 
sionary from  the  Damascus  field ;  and  how  they  reached 
Cairo  within  three  weeks  of  each  other;  the  former  on 
November  15,  1854,  and  the  latter  on  December  5,  of  tiie 
same  year.  There  were  in  Cairo  at  the  time  of  their 
arrival  the  Rev.  Lawrie,  of  the  English  Mission  to  the  Jews, 
and  the  Rev.  J.  R.  T.  Leider,  of  the  Church  Mission  Society. 
The  latter  had  been  in  Cairo  for  many  years,  and  had  done 
something  in  the  way  of  circulating  the  Scriptures  in  Arabic 
throughout  the  Nile  valley,  and  encouraging  education  ft)r 
both  males  and  females.  His  chief  employment,  however, 
at  the  time  our  missionaries  appeared  on  the  field,  was  the 
holding  of  an  English  service  on  Sabbath  morning  for  the 
benefit  of  the  few  English  residents  and  the  English-speaking 
travelers,  baptizing  their  children,  and  bur\ing  their  dead. 
His   house   was   visited  by  many  of    the  travelers  for  the 


IN  Egypt.  7^ 

purpose  of  obtaining  information  about  the  country  from 
him  and  his  wife,  and  directions  as  to  places  of  interest  to 
be  visited  in  the  city  and  suburbs. 

How  long  the  missionary  to  the  Jews  had  been  in  the 
city  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain,  but  his  work  con- 
sisted chiefly  of  visiting  Jews  in  their  offices  and  shops, 
receiving  occasional  visits  from  them  in  his  house,  and  dis- 
tributing among  them  tracts  and  portions  of  the  Scriptures, 
especially  the  Old  Testament.  Work  among  them,  then  as 
now,  was  very  discouraging.  Mr.  Lawrie  was  succeeded  by 
Mr.  Reichhart,  who  reached  Cairo  on  February  4,  1855, 
Mr.  Lawrie  leaving  on  March  7,  of  the  same  year.'  The 
friendship  shown  by  Mr.  Lawrie  to  our  missionaries  on  their 
arrival  in  Cairo  continued  untif  he  left,  and  was  gratefully 
reciprocated  by  them.  Unfortunately,  the  intercourse  be- 
tween them  and  his  successor  was  not  as  cordial. 

For  some  weeks  the  chief  business  of  our  missionaries 
was  to  secure  a  home  for  themselves  and  the  work  which 
they  intended  to  carry  on  in  the  great  and  wicked  city  of 
Cairo.  This  was  no  easy  matter ;  not  easy  even  now  though 
thousands  of  houses  are  rented  to  foreigners  every  year. 
But  at  that  time  the  suitable  houses  in  healthy  localities 
were  very  few,  and  the  prejudice  against  Protestants  was 
even  greater  than  against  any  other  Christians  and  for- 
eigners. However,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  they  secured  a 
house  in  a  narrow  street,  looking  out  on  a  pile  of  rubbish, 
in  the  quarter  called  Darb-el-Ganeineh.  This  was  large 
enough  to  accommodate  them  all,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCague 
taking  the  third  floor  and  Mr.  Barnett  the  second. 

Before  the  end  of  December,  but  not  until  after  the 
arrival  of  our  missionaries,  the  Rev.  O.  F.  Martin  and  his 
wife  reached  Cairo.  He  was  sent  to  Egypt  by  the  American 
Missionary  Society  to  labor  among  the  Copts,  and  was 
accompanied  by  a  Mr.  Murad,  a  Syrian,  who  had  visited 
America,  and  came  as  assistant  to  Mr.  Martin.  Mr.  Martin 
was  on  friendly  relations  with  our  missionaries,  took  his  turn 
with  them  in  conducting  English  services,  and  made  one  trip 


74  The  American  Mission 

up  the  Nile.  He  originated  no  special  work  among  the 
natives.  Mr.  Murad  spent  his  time  holding  conversations 
with  the  people.  In  1858,  Mr.  Martin  and  his  wife  went  to 
America,  and  did  not  return  to  Egypt  on  account  of  his  own 
and  his  wife's  state  of  health.  Subsequently  he  had  charge 
of  a  Congregational  church  in  Peru,  Illinois,  then  was  sent 
by  the  American  Tract  Society  to  labor  among  the  soldiers 
in  the  American  Civil  War  and  died  at  Chattanooga  in 
March,  1864. 

No  sooner  had  the  missionaries  got  partially  settled  than 
they  concluded  to  open  an  English  service  for  their  own 
edification  and  the  profit  of  any  others  who  might  prefer  the 
simple  forms  of  Presbyterianism  to  those  of  Episcopacy.     It 
was,  however,  with  some  hesitation  at  first,  lest  it  might 
give  offence  to  those  who  had  been  a  long  time  on  the  field, 
and  had  conducted  divine  service  every  Lord's  Day  for  the 
British  community  for  many  years.     In  order  to  avoid  any 
appearance  of  collision,  it  was  arranged  that  the  Presbyterian 
service  would   be   held   in  the  afternoon,  our  missionaries 
themselves   often   attending  the  Episcopal  services   in  the 
morning.     They  met  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  Mr.  McCague's 
apartments.     The  first  service  was  held  on  the  last  Sabbath 
of  1854,  and  was  conducted  by  a   Rev.  Herschel,  a  passing 
traveler.     On  the  first  Sabbath  of  January,  1855,  Mr.  Bar- 
nett   led  the   services,  taking  for  his  text   2   Corinthians 
13  :  14,  and  from  that  time  onwards  they  were  kept  up,  being 
conducted  in  turn  by  Messrs.  Barnett,  McCague  and  Martin. 
According  to  Mr.  Barnett' s  diary,  from  five  to  thirty  attended, 
as  there  might  be  few  or  many  travelers  of  Presbyterian 
proclivities  in  the  city.     On  one  or  two  occasions  there  were 
only  the  missionaries  themselves  present,  but  they  needed 
the  encouragements  and  instructions  of  God's  Word  as  much 
as  any  others.     On  January  21,  1855,  services  in  Arabic 
were  commenced  by  Mr.  Barnett  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  his 
house,  and  kept  up  by  himself  during  the  year,  no  one  being 
able  to  render  any  assistance.     From  three  to  eight  attended 
during  the  first  year,  and  these,  for  the  most  part,  had  some 


IN  Egypt.  7^ 

connection  with  the  missionaries,  either  as  servants  or 
teachers.  Generally  one  or  more  strangers  were  present, 
coming  out  of  curiosity  or  by  invitation.  During  the  first 
nine  months  as  many  as  twenty  different  persons  had 
attended  the  services  at  least  once.  Discouraging  as  this 
would  appear  to  all  who  have  not  had  such  experiences,  yet 
Mr.  Barnett  never  hesitated  or  showed  any  signs  of  dis 
couragement,  but  continued  faithfully  to'  proclaim  the  truth 
in  its  various  phases  and  relations  to  human  belief  and 
practice  every  Sabbath  morning,  whatsoever  might  be  the 
number  of  persons  present.  Often,  however,  in  his  diary 
he  expresses  his  views  of  the  difficulties  to  be  surmounted, 
the  immense  work  to  be  done,  and  his  own  weakness  and 
unfitness  for  it.  However  unmoved  and  even  cheerful  he 
appeared  to  others,  he  was  not  without  deep  feelings,  and  he 
had  many  moments  when  the  vastness  of  the  undertaking 
overcame  him,  and  he  cried  to  the  Lord  for  help. 

Besides  these  two  services,  one  in  English  and  the  other 
in  Arabic,  on  Sabbath,  and  a  prayer-meeting  in  English  on 
Wednesday  evening,  the  time  of  the  missionaries  was  spent 
during  the  first  year  in  studying  the  language.  This,  of 
course,  was  Mr.  McCague's  chief  work,  but  Mr.  Barnett 
also  had  his  teacher  every  day.  They  also  visited  the 
various  denominational  schools — the  Coptic,  with  an  attend- 
ance of  one  hundred  or  more ;  the  Greek  Orthodox,  with  a 
somewhat  smaller  number ;  the  Armenian  with  about  half 
that  number.  They  called  on  the  Coptic  Patriarch,  and  got 
acquainted  with  a  Hakakin  bey,  a  learned  Armenian,  who 
continued  friendly  to  them  and  their  successors  until  he  died, 
many  years  after.  They  made  the  acquaintance  of  several 
men  of  position  and  influence ;  and  a  few  of  the  Coptic 
priesthood  ;  and  sold  Scriptures*  and  other  books  printed 
in  Arabic  at  the  Malta  or  the  Beirut  press — especially  books 
on  Church  history  and  Christian  life  and  discussions  on  the 
differences   between   the  corrupt  churches  of  the  East  and 

*  Scriptures  had  previously  been  distributed  gratuitously.  They  sold 
in  four  months  portions  at  looo  piastres. 


76 


The  AMERICAN  Mission 


Protestantism.     They  visited  places  of  special  and  historic 
interest,  such  as  the  pyramids,  the  petrified  forest,  Heliopolis, 
the  nilometer,  the  Azhar    (the  celebrated  school  of  Muham- 
madan  learning),  and  took  occasion  to  see  the  various  public 
gatherings,  such  as  the  mahmal,  the  cutting  of  the  canal  at 
old  Cairo,  and  funerals  of  the   various   sects.     On  passing 
through  the  streets  they  were  often  pained  at  the  disgusting 
sights'"  and   obscene   language  ;    and  not  unfrequently  were 
called  Nazarenes,  dogs,  and  pigs.     They  had  no  little  trouble 
with  the  servants,  who  took  advantage  of  their  ignorance  of 
the  habits  of  the  people   and   customs  of  the  country,  and 
prices  of  the  various  articles  of  food.     Some  of  them  would 
get  drunk  and  had  to  be  dismissed  ;    some   of  them    would 
stay  out  in  the  cafes  till  after  midnight,  leaving  the  outside 
door  open  ;  all  took  a  liberal  commission   on    every   article 
purchased,  whether  large  or  small.     Sometimes  one,  out  of 
pretence  of  great  need,  would  borrow  money  in  advance  and 
then  suddenfy  disappear.     Gabran  Shahata,  whom  Mr.  Bar- 
nett  brought  with  him  from  Damascus,  on  account  of  a  ten- 
dency to  pulmonary   diseases,  though   a  good  man  and  of 
bright  intellect,   was   very  discontented  in  Egypt,  and  was 
continually  in  hot  water  with  the  door-keeper    or  the  cook, 
and  was   very  exacting  in  his  demands  on  Mr.  Barnett  for 
means  to  add  to  his  personal  comfort,  so  that  it  was  a  great 
relief  to  have  him  depart  for  Damascus,  about  the  beginning 

of  April,  1855. 

The  year  1855  was  a  time  of  excitement  and  terror. 
That  terrible  scourge,  cholera,  broke  out  in  Cairo  about  the 
beginning  of  June,  and  continued  during  the  whole  of  that 
month,  cutting  down  in  the  city  alone  more  than  10,000 
persons.  Mr.  P.  Tod,  of  the  firm  Tod,  Rathbone  &  Co., 
was  among  the  first  who  fell  a  victim.  The  people  were 
terror-stricken  ;  a  gloom  rested  upon  the  whole  city;  business 
was  to  a  large  extent  suspended  ;  many  fled  from  the  city  or 
left  the  country  altogether,  thus  helping  to  spread  the  disease  ; 
others  kept  themselves  in  quarantine  in  their  own  homes. 
The  missionaries  continued  at  their  posts,  daily  visiting  the 


IN  Egypt.  tj 

sick,  burying  the  dead,  comforting  the  mourning  and  bereaved, 
and  giving  what  aid  they  could  to  the  needy.  Their  kind 
offices  and  Christian  sympathy  made  for  them  many  friends. 
Mr.  Leider's  illness  at  that  time,  and  at  other  times  also,  was 
the  means  of  bringing  them  into  prominence  and  giving  them 
an  opportunity  of  showing  their  sympathy  with  the  suffering 
and  the  bereaved.  The  cholera  was  specially  severe  among 
the  British  who  were  in  the  employment  of  the  Egyptian 
government,  no  doubt  on  account  of  their  drinking  habits. 
There  were  some  cases  which  seemed  to  be  direct  divine 
judgment.  One  man  at  a  funeral  'was  making  light  of  the 
cholera  and  was  struck  down  next  day,  and  buried  alongside 
of  the  body  of  the  man  at  whose  funeral  he  had  been  jesting. 
For  a  time,  however,  some  of  the  careless  began  to  be  seri- 
ous and  attended  divine  services,  or  welcomed  the  mission- 
aries in  their  homes  and  accepted  their  Christian  ministra- 
tions. But  as  soon  as  the  pestilence  was  over,  the  same 
carelessness  and  worldliness  reappeared  in  most  of  the 
people ;  so  that  Mr.  McCague,  in  writing  at  the  time,  says  : 
"  But  what  effect  does  it  have  upon  the  morals  of  the  people? 
We  perceive  no  change.  They  will  lie,  blaspheme,  steal, 
dissipate,  just  as  before."  Whatever  effect  this  terrible  dis- 
ease had  on  the  people  generally,  it  seemed  to  have  brought 
the  missionary  nearer  to  God  and  make  him  more  devoted  to 
Him,  filling  his  heart  with  gratitude  for  His  protecting  care 
and  strengthening  grace.  Under  the  influence  of  those 
scenes,  when  the  realities  of  eternity  were  patent  to  the 
Christian,  I  find  Mr.  Barnett  writing  in  his  diary,  June  15, 
1855,  the  following  meditations  in  the  form  of  a  prayer : 

"  Lord  God  Almighty,  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  Thy  tender  mercies  have  been 
exercised  over  me  in  a  special  manner  all  the  days  of  my 
life,  in  all  my  wanderings  at  home  in  America,  and  in  these 
eastern  lands.  Often,  full  often,  had  I  noticed  them,  must  I 
have  said,  '  This  is  the  doing  of  the  Lord  towards  me,  and  it 
is  marvelous  in  mine  eyes';  often  must  I  have  said,  '  This 
place  and  that  is  none  other  than  the  gate  of  heaven';  and 
often  must  I  have  said,  '  Now  is  a  time  of  loving-kindness  to 


78  The  AMERICAN  Mission 

me.'     I  bless  and  praise  Thy  great  name  for  the  token  of 
Thy  grace  and  love.     1  confess  my  unworthiness  of  the  least 
of  Thy  kindnesses.     I  lament  my  oft-repeated  transgressions 
of  thy  holy  law,  my  defects  at  coming  short  at  all  times  of 
Thy  glory,  that  I  sin  against  Thee  in  thought  and  word  and 
deed  daily,  and  hourly,  secretly  and  publicly.     I  acknowledge 
that  I  deserve  Thy  wrath  and  curse.     If  Thou  hadst  been 
strict  to  mark  iniquity,  Thou  wouldst  have  cut  me  off  as  a 
cumberer  of  Thy  ground.     If  thou  hadst  called  me  to  judg- 
ment I  could  not  answer  for  one  of  a  thousand  of  my  trans- 
gressions, for  my  sins  are  more  in  number  than  the  hairs  of 
my  head  ;  and  they  are  highly  aggravated  in  Thy  sight,  hav- 
ing committed  them  against  light  and  knowledge,  notwith- 
standing vows  and  promises,  and  contrary  to  the  strivings  of 
Thy  Spirit  and  the  admonitions  of  conscience,  and  the  terrible 
rebukes  of  Thy  providence,  seen  whilst  at  present  thousands 
are  falling  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left ;  and  while  the 
pestilence  walketh   in  darkness  and  the  destruction  wasteth 
at  noonday;  and  the  terrors  of  the  unmanageable  and  awful 
disease  with  which  Thou  art  chastising  this  city  are  making 
all  afraid,  causing  men's  knees  to  tremble  and  their  hearts  to 
fail  within  them,  an  awful  panic  pervading  all.     Great  God, 
my  thoughts  wander  from   Thee ;  my  love  is  cold  towards 
Thee  ;  my  gratitude,  though   probably  expressed,  is  inade- 
quately felt,  and  things  of  time  and  sense  divert  me  even  in 
my  formal  services.     But  I  bless  Thee  that,  by  Thy  provi- 
dence, Thou  art  still  granting  me  time  for  repentance  and 
opportunity  to  turn  unto  Thee  and  live.     I  would  recognize 
Thy  special  goodness  for  my  present  security,  for  the  con- 
tinued health  and  strength  which  Thou  hast  granted  unto  me, 
and  to  all  associated  with  me  in  the  missionary  work  in  this 
city;  and  that  Thou  art  thus  encouraging  us  by  Thy  provi- 
dence to  trust  in  Thee,  to  serve  Thee  reverently  and  faith- 
fully, to  dedicate  ourselves  to  Thy  service,  and  to  the  best 
interests  of  our  fellowmen.     And  now.  Oh !   God,  do  Thou 
graciously  for  Christ's  sake  be  pleased  to  pardon  all  my  sins, 
my  shortcomings  in  Thy  service,  and  prevent  any  evil  con- 
sequences from  arising  to  me  or  to  the  cause  in  which  I  am 
engaged  ;  and  may  1  be  renewedly  devoted  to  Thee  and  to 
that  work  which  is  Thine  own  ;  and  if  it  please  Thee,  may 
my  spared  life  be  the  instrument  of  doing  much  good  to  those 
perishing  around  me.     And,  gracious  God,  if  it  please  Thee, 
do  Thou  stay  the  plague,  and  may  it  soon  leave  the  city- 
may   it  be  blessed  to  the  spiritual  and  eternal  welfare  of 
all  who  have  been  afflicted  by  it  in  their  families  and  rela- 


IN  Egypt.  ^q 


tives ;  and  while  Thy  judgments  are  abroad  on  the  earth 
may  the  people  learn  righteousness.     Thou  seest  the  iniquity 
of  this  city  that  it  is  very  great;  Thou  seest  that   here  are 
many  precious  souls  ;  we  have  come  from  a  far  country  to 
do  tliem  good  ;  do  Thou  open  up  doors  of  usefulness   to  us 
Do  Thou  here   revive  Thy  work,  which  is  Thine  own,  and 
may  the  time  soon  come  when   nominal   Christians,  Jews 
jand  Muhammadans  will  all  turn  to  Thee,  and  love  and  serve 
fThee  from  a  pure  heart  fervently.     Oh  !  may  the  judgments 
of  war  and  pestilence  be  heeded  by  all.     Great  God  !  I  com- 
mit myself  to  Thee  with  all  of  mine.     View  me  ever  in  Christ 
Jesus    1  hy  Son.     Pardon,  sanctify  and  bless  me  as  Thou 
seest  I  need,  both  in  body  and  in  spirit.      Give  me  tokens 
tor  good,  and   make  the  path  of  duty  plain,  and   aive   me 
strength  to  walk  therein  continually;  accept  of  me  in  person 
Amen""  ^^'"""^^    ^°''    ^'""''^^'    ""^   ^'^^^   Redeemer's   sake. 
In  the  wake  of  the  cholera  there  came  another  excite- 
ment, a  rebellion  in  Upper  Egypt.     The  city  was  filled  with 
the  wildest  rumors.     It  was  reported  that  the  peasantry  had 
refused  to  pay  the  taxes,  and  had  risen  in   rebellion  against 
the  local  authorities ;  that  the  bedouins,  seeing  their  o'ppor- 
tunity,  were  banding  together  and  enriching  themselves  with 
public  plunder.     Thirteen  steamers,  laden  with  soldiers  and 
material  of  war,  were  hurriedly  sent  off  up  the  river  to  put 
down   the    rebellion    before   it   should   extend    through   the 
country,  and  perhaps  imperil  the  then  existing  government 
For  a  time  there  was  great  fear,  as  there  was  no  means  of 
getting  reliable  reports.      The  missionaries,   like  the  rest 
knew  not  what  might  happen,  but  they  knew  that  the  earth 
and  all  therein  are  under  the  control  of  God,  and  He  u  uiild 
direct  all  things  to  His  own  glory.     The  petty  rebellion  was 
soon  put  down,  and  it  was  discovered  that  there  had  been 
great  exaggeration  in  the  reports  that  reached  Cairo. 

This  also  was  the  year  of  the  Crimean  war,  in  which 
both  Muhammadans  and  Christians  were  deeply  interested 
As  most  of  the  Christian  sects  of  Egypt  sympathized  with 
Russia,  while  the  Muhammadans  sympathized,  of  course, 
with  Turkey,  so  the  elements  of  strife  and  hatred  existed  in 
Egypt  as  everywhere  else  in  the  Turkish  empire,  and  no  one 


8o  The  American  Mission 

knew  at  what  moment  might  occur  an  open  collision  between 
the  opposing  parties.  The  greatest  interest  was  taken  in  the 
war  by  both  sides,  and  petty  victories  and  defeats  were 
magnified  according  to  the  proclivities  of  the  parties.  .  There 
was  the  greatest  anxiety  for  news.  One  day  the  Turks  and 
their  allies  were  victorious,  on  another  the  Russians.  News 
came  of  the  death  of  Emperor  Nicholas,  and  the  Muhamma- 
dans  rejoiced  at  the  report  that  the  Russian  warships  were 
burned  lest  they  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  allies.  It 
was  difficult  in  such  circumstances  to  do  active  mission  work 
in  a  country  largely  Muhammadan,  and  among  the  Christian 
sects  which  sympathized  secretly  with  Russia  ;  while  the 
missionaries,  as  Protestants,  were  supposed  to  sympathize 
with  the  side  to  which  England  lent  her  aid. 

This  was  the  year  also  of  the  assassination  of  Abbas 
Pasha,  under  circumstances  too  revolting  to  be  recorded, 
but  in  perfect  keeping  with  his  well-known  and  vicious 
character.  It  was  during  this  year,  too,  when  telegraphic  mes- 
sages were  first  sent  through  to  Cairo,  and  when  the  railway 
traffic  to  Cairo  was  opened.  Previously  it  was  necessary  to 
make  half  of  the  journey  by  steamer  on  the  Nile.  A  begin- 
ning was  made  during  the  year  in  the  work  of  education. 
Persons,  both  native  and  European,  had  asked  the  mission- 
aries to  afford  them  facilities  for  the  education  of  their 
children.  Dr.  Abbat,  the  resident  physician,  a  relative  of 
Brown  Brothers,  had  two  sons.  The  modier  was  an  ignorant 
native,  who  had  had  no  opportunities  herself,  and  was 
unable  to  do  anything  to  educate  the  children.  Out  of 
sympathy  for  the  boys,  and  under  a  sense  of  obligation  to 
their  father,  the  missionaries  consented  to  give  them  private 
lessons  in  the  mission  house  ;  but  they  would  attend  one  day, 
and  absent  themselves  the  next,  making  all  sorts  of  excuses 
to  deceive  the  missionaries  as  well  as  their  own  father,  so 
that  little  could  be  done  for  them.  I  met  the  boys  many 
years  after  in  Monsurah,  and  felt  that  with  sore  eyes  and  un- 
tidy habits  in  consequence  of  neglect  when  they  were  young, 
they  were  objects  of  pity,  indeed.  After  completing  necessary 


jL-wish  Rabbi. 


IN  Egypt.  8i 

arrangements,  a  school  for  boys  was  opened  on  November 
29,  1855,  with  Mr.  Awad  Hanna  as  teacher.  He  was  a 
young,  enlightened  Copt  of  considerable  ability,  afterwards  a 
church  member,  and  when  the  church  in  Cairo  was  organ- 
ized he  was  chosen  deacon.  He  was  also  for  a  time  in  charge 
of  the  mission  bookshop,  was  fond  of  discussion,  very  sharp 
at  repartee,  delighted  to  pull  down  and  root  up,  but  had  no 
gift  or  inclination  for  the  better  work  of  spiritual  edification. 
He  has  in  later  years  become  disaffected  and  ceased  to  attend 
the  services.  It  is  sad  to  See  one,  who  was  so  active  once, 
losing  at  last  all  interest  in  the  Gospel  and  its  diffusion,  and 
its  influence  on  his  own  life  and  the  lives  of  others.  May 
the  backslider  be  restored.  The  school  opened  with  five 
boys  and  soon  increased  to  twenty. 

There  was  little  encouraging  in  the  experience  of  the 
missionaries  with  the  people  during  1855.  Some  came  to 
them  pretending  to  be  inquirers,  and  after  a  time,  and  per- 
haps after  fond  hopes  had  been  entertained,  their  worldly 
motives  were  discovered  ;  and,  not  being  able  to  secure 
their  ends,  they  withdrew  from  all  intercourse  with  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  dissuaded  others  from  coming  near  them. 
Some  would  come  and  show  an  interest  in  the  truth  by  pro- 
pounding questions,  and  listening  attentively  to  the  answers 
and  explanations  patiently  given  by  the  missionaries  ;  but 
for  some  reason,  not  apparent,  would  suddenly  cease  coming 
to  the  mission  house,  and  avoid  contact  with  the  mission- 
aries. There  was  one  case  which  occurred  this  year  in 
which  all,  for  a  time,  took  special  interest,  but  it  ended,  as 
too  often  in  other  cases,  in  disappointment  to  their  expecta- 
tions. It  was  the  case  of  a  young  woman  whom  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McCague  met  at  the  house  of  a  certain  Iskaros  Effendi. 
They  were  delighted  with  her  appearance  and  earnest  man- 
ner. She  was  a  European,  said  she  was  brought  up  a 
Roman  Catholic,  but  hated  Catholicism  and  wished  to  be  a 
Protestant.  But  first  of  all  she  desired  to  get  away  from 
the  country  and  secure  a  passage  to  England,  in  order  to  get 
out  of  the  clutches  of  the  priests,  who  annoyed  her.     Her 

6 


82  The  American  Mission 

parents  and  other  relatives  watched  her  closely,  and  would 
not  let  her  go  out  of  the  house  without  a  companion  to  act 
as  a  guard.  Arrangements  were  made  for  her  to  visit  the 
McCagues  on  a  certain  day,  and  as  she  knew  Arabic,  Mr. 
Barnett  was  to  act  as  interpreter.  She  came  at  the  time 
appointed,  and  Mr.  Barnett  was  called  in  to  interpret.  She 
was  described  by  one  of  the  missionaries  after  this  interview 
as  follows : 

"  She  is  of  middle  size,  a  brunette,  with  dark  eyes,  fine 
teeth,  a  small  mouth,  a  high  and  polished  forehead,  intelligent 
countenance,  of  noble  bearing,  as  if  the  daughter  of  a  prince, 
and  withal  apparently  simple  in  her  manners  ;  with  a  fine 
form,  bending  slightly  when  seated,  but  like  an  arrow  when 
standing ;  and  all  life  and  animation  as  she  engages  in  con- 
versation. Her  parents  are  from  Paris  and  Marseilles. 
She  speaks  French  and  Italian,  and  Arabic  much  better  than 
Europeans  generally." 

Her  story  was  that  the  was  pestered  with  the  priests  on 
account  of  her  Protestant  proclivities,  and  that  she  would 
do  anything  in  order  to  get  out  of  their  country  and  reach 
England  or  Malta.  The  missionaries  told  her  they  could  do 
nothing  to  help  her  to  leave  the  country  ;  that  she  had  better 
bear  as  patiently  as  possible,  read  her  Bible,  and  the  Lord 
would  guide  her ;  that  she  might  be  very  useful  in  Cairo  if 
she  became  an  honest  and  earnest  Protestant  Christian. 
They  proposed  to  teach  her  more  about  the  Evangel,  and 
also  to  make  her  useful  in  giving  instruction  in  some  of  the 
languages  she  knew.  But  she  was  apparently  bent  on 
leaving  Egypt.  Mr.  Barnett  had  some  suspicions  in  regard 
to  her  ;  indeed,  he  always  appears  to  have  been  exceedingly 
cautious,  and  perhaps  slightly  suspicious  in  his  nature, 
especially,  as  he  noticed  some  evidence  of  affectation  on  her 
part,  and  saw  her  one  day  looking  out  of  the  window  as  he 
passed.  She  was  frequently  at  Mr.  McCague's,  and  some- 
times brought  with  her  some  of  her  relatives.  It  occurred 
to  Mr.  Barnett  to  mention  her  case  to  Mr.  Leider,  who,  it 
turned  out,  knew  her  and  her  history,   and  so  was  able  to 


IN  EGYPT.  83 

put  our  missionaries  on  their  guard  ;  and  opened  tiieir  eyes 
to  the  fact  that  she  was  deceiving  them  and  trying  to  enlist 
their  sympathy  on  the  false  plea  that  she  was  an  honest 
Protestant  in  order  to  get  out  of  the  country  and  join  a  young 
priest,  with  whom  she  had  fallen  in  love,  and  who  had  been 
sent  out  of  Egypt  for  his  undue  attentions  to  her.  This  was 
a  great  disappointment  to  the  missionaries,  but  was  an 
experience  and  a  training  to  prepare  them  for  similar  exper- 
iences in  their  missionary  life.  How  often  the  cloak  of 
deception  is  put  on  and  the  pretense  of  the  love  of  God's 
truth  put  forward  to  secure  from  the  missionaries  help  to 
accomplish  personal  and  worldly  ends. 

At  the  close  of  a  very  carefully-prepared  report  of  the 
year  1855,  sent  to  Rev.  J.  T.  Pressly,  D.  D.,  and  signed  by 
Messrs.  Barnett  and  McCague,  they  say : 

"We  have  now  laid  before  you  a  specimen  of  our 
labors,  prospects,  and  wants.  Immediate  and  extensive 
success  must  not  be  the  index  of  our  duty.  Especially  is  this 
true  in  this  field,  where  there  are  so  many  retarding  cir- 
cumstances attending  the  work ;  but  while  the  field  is  large 
and  we  have  room  to  work,  while  it  is  open  and  we  can 
enter  in,  we  must  listen  to  the  command,  '  Go  forward, 
occupy  till  I  come,'  'Go,  go,  go  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature.'  " 

The  Lord  had  thus  brought  them  to  the  close  of  their 
first  year.  They  had  commenced  the  dissemination  of  divine 
truth  through  the  distribution  of  the  Scriptures,  through 
education  in  the  schools,  through  preaching  on  ihe  Lord's 
.day,  through  visitation  of  the  people  in  their  homes  and 
'n  their  places  of  business.  They  had  varied  experiences, 
some  to  gladden  and  some  to  discourage.  They  all  had  some 
experience  of  bodily  sickness,  and  notably  Mr.  McCague, 
who  had  several  severe  attacks  of  bilious  troubles,  which 
Mr.  Barnett  tried  unsuccessfully  to  convince  him  were 
caused  by  his  habit  of  chewing  tobacco.  They  all  had  dur- 
ing the  cholera  epidemic  premonitory  symptoms  of  this 
terrible  disease,   yet  they  were  brought  to  see  the  close  of 


84  The  AMERICAN  Mission 

their  first  year  in  health  and  comfort,  and  were  enabled  to 
look  forward  with  faith  and  hope,  while  Mr.  McCague's 
home  was  enlivened  with  the  music  of  a  son,  who  was 
baptized  by  Mr.  Barnett,  and  named  John  L.  McCague,  now 
the  president  of  the  McCague  Bros,  banking  establishment, 
in  Omaha,  Neb. 

The  history  of  the  work  and  personal  movements  of 
the  missionaries  during  1856  can  be  briefly  told.  The  ser- 
vices in  English  were  continued  all  the  year  with  the  excep- 
tion of  three  months  during  the  summer,  when  few  residents 
remained  in  the  city,  and  some  of  the  missionaries  were 
absent.  The  number  present  varied  from  the  members  of 
the  mission  families  only  up  to  fifty  persons,  according  to 
the  season  of  the  traveling  public.  Had  the  place  of  meet- 
ing been  more  conveniently  situated  and  better  fitted  up  for 
such  purposes,  doubtless  more  of  the  tourist  class  would  have 
attended. 

The  services  in  Arabic,  too,  were  conducted  during  ten 
months  of  the  year,  Mr.  Barnett  being  absent  the  other  two 
months,  and  neither  Mr.  McCague  nor  Mr.  Martin  being  able 
then  to  use  the  Aarbic  with  sufficient  ease  to  enable  them  to 
lead  public  worship.  From  three  to  eight  natives  attended 
pretty  regularly.  A  second  Arabic  service  was  commenced 
in  Haret-es-Sakkain,  the  southern  part  of  the  city,  on  July 
27,  which  was  attended  by  from  four  to  eighteen  natives. 
This  was  subsequently  converted  into  a  Bible  class,  which 
seemed  more  in  accordance  with  the  desires  of  the  younger 
portion  of  the  congregation.  A  prayer-meeting  also  was 
held  weekly  in  this  part  of  the  city  for  a  few  months. 

The  school  was  continued  with  an  increase  in  the  enroll- 
ment and  attendance.  The  chief  studies  were  reading  and 
writing  in  Arabic  and  English,  Arabic  grammar,  arithmetic, 
Brown's  Catechism,  with  the  usual  devotional  exercises  in 
the  morning,  consisting  of  a  lesson  in  the  Scriptures,  a  few 
remarks  thereon,  and  prayer.  Several  persons  were  induced 
to  attend  the  services  on  Sabbath  day  on  account  of  their 
children  being  in  the  school.     Mr.  McCague  generally  spent 


IN  Egypt.  85 

two  hours  in  teaching,  and  Mr.  Barnett  took  also  a  share  in 
the  work. 

BOOK  Distribution.  The  actual  number  of  volumes 
distributed  is  not  reported,  but  it  is  said  that  "  many  copies 
of  the  Word  of  God  and  other  religious  books  were  disposed 
of."  These  were  sold,  and  therefore  we  have  an  assurance 
that  they  were  read,  for  few  Egyptians  will  convert  their 
cash  into  a  book  without  reading  it. 

It  is  very  evident  from  the  report  to  the  Board  for  1856, 
and  from  the  letters  and  diaries  of  the  missionaries,  that 
their  acquaintance  with  the  people  had  widened,  and  that 
they  had  begun  to  have  frequent  intercourse  with  many 
persons  ;  and  thus  had  opportunities  for  imparting  religious 
truth  and  answering  questions  put  to  them  on  the  various 
topics  of  difference  between  the  missionaries  and  the  old 
Christian  churches.  No  conversions,  however,  were  reported, 
although  there  were  several  apparently  earnest  inquirers. 

The  chief  movement  on  the  part  of  the  missionaries 
was  that  a  house  was  taken  in  Haret-es-Sakkain  for  a  sum- 
mer resort,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCague  occupied  it,  finding  it 
cooler  by  several  degrees  than  in  the  other  center.  This 
afforded  the  means  for  opening  a  new  center  for  mission 
work  in  the  city,  and  is  the  origin  of  the  work  in  that  quar- 
ter. Mr.  Barnett  made  a  trip  to  Syria  in  the  spring  in  order 
to  bring  from  there  various  appurtenances  which  he  left 
behind,  and  he  was  absent  about  two  months,  returning  to 
Egypt  about  the  end  of  May.  He  had  his  usual  good  health, 
although  towards  the  end  of  the  hot  summer  months  he 
complained  of  lassitude  and  weakness,  and  felt  that  the  loner 
service  in  the  East  without  a  change  to  a  cool  climate  was 
beginning  to  tell  upon  his  robust  constitution.  Mr.  McCague 
was  still  frequently  troubled  with  his  billions  attacks,  and  in 
addition  suffered  much  from  sore  eyes,  but  he  made  excel- 
lent progress  in  the  language. 

The  mission  was  greatly  strengthened  by  the  arrival  of 
the  Rev.  G.  Lansing  from  America,  about  the  end  of  Novem- 
ber, on  his  way  to  Damascus,  intending,  however,  to  spend 


86  The  American  Mission 

the  winter  in  fne  mild  climate  of  Egypt.  But,  as  it  turned 
out  in  the  providence  of  God,  he  became  from  that  time  a 
permanent  addition  to  the  mission,  and  an  important  factor 
in  all  its  history  thenceforth  till  his  death.  As  he  had  already 
been  five  years  in  Damascus  and  had  acquired  a  good  knowl- 
edge of  the  Arabic  language,  he  immediately  took  his  share 
in  all  the  departments  of  the  work.  Of  his  arrival,  Mr. 
Barnett  wrote  to  his  brother-in-law,  Dr.  Paulding,  as  follows  : 

**  In  my  last  I  told  you  of  Mr.  Lansing's  arrival.  It 
was  to  me  like  a  lost  one  found,*  or  like  one  that  had  been 
restored  from  the  dead.  During  the  last  month  I  spent  a 
part  of  almost  every  day  in  acting  as  his  cicerone  in  sight- 
seeing, and  in  visiting  friends,  so  that  he  is  fully  introduced 
to  them  all,  and  better  acquainted  with  the  localities  of  the 
objects  of  greatest  interest  than  I  was  six  months  after  my 
arrival.  He  is  living  with  me.  We  live  very  simply  and 
keep  regular  hours.  Mr.  Lansing  has  been  improving  in 
health  and  spirits  ever  since  he  came,  and  the  play-like 
business  of  donkey  riding  has  been  very  seasonable  to  me. 
I,  too,  have  sensibly  improved.  He  has  been  really,  to  all 
appearance,  wholly  restored  to  health  " 

On  Mr.  Lansing's  arrival  the  question  of  occupying 
Alexandria  was  brought  up  and  discussed,  and  the  work 
decided  upon,  should  the  Board  give  its  consent.  Of  this 
Mr.  Barnett  says  :  "  Mr.  Lansing's  arrival  was  most  oppor- 
tune for  the  interests  of  our  mission.  In  consequence  of  his 
restored  health  and  the  encouraging  progress  made  by  Messrs. 
McCague  and  Martin  in  the  acquisition  of  the  language,  and 
the  imperious  demands  of  our  mission  in  Egypt  to  have  a 
branch  in  Alexandria,  I  design  to  go  down  there  within  the 
present  month  (January,  1857)  to  open  and  establish  a  new- 
station.  We  need  an  agent  in  Alexandria  as  we  enlarge  our 
operations  in  the  book  distribution  throughout  the  interior." 
And  in  their  report  to  the  Board  for  1856,  the  missionaries 
say  :  "  It  is  thought  proper  by  us,  with  your  consent,  to 
occupy  Alexandria.  Mr.  Barnett  wishes  to  go  as  soon  as 
*  They  had  been  associated  together  in  Damascus. 


IN   hGYPT.  87 

possible,  as  the  field  needs  cultivation,  and  as  it  is  an  im- 
portant station  for  the  advancement  of  our  work  in  Egypt. 
Mr.  Lansing's  remaining  here  will  depend  on  his  health, 
which  is  now  good." 

With  encouragement  in  the  various  lines  of  mission  work, 
through  the  gradual  opening  of  doors  of  usefulness,  and  with 
an  eye  to  the  wide  extension  of  it  in  the  future,  they  felt 
that,  with  the  advent  of  the  new  workman  thoroughly  equip- 
ped for  the  work,  they  could,  as  they  ought  to,  spread  out 
to  other  places.     Thus  closed  the  year  1856. 

1857.  This  year  commenced  with  encouraging  prospects. 
The  missionary  force,  as  we  have  seen,  had  just  been 
strengthened  by  the  arrival  of  the  Rev.  G.  Lansing.  He 
was  young,  hopeful  and  pushing,  had  a  liking  to  be  among 
the  people  rather  than  to  shut  himself  up  in  his  study,  and 
by  nature  was  endowed  with  an  attractive  manner  in  con- 
versation. Mr.  McCague  was  progressing  rapidly  in  acquir- 
ing a  practical  knowledge  of  the  Arabic  language,  and  hoped 
soon  to  be  able  to  use  it  in  preaching  the  Word.  New  life 
and  spirit  had  been  given  to  Mr.  Barnett  by  the  genial  com- 
panionship of  his  Damascus  colleague.  Preparations  were 
being  made  for  his  removal  to  Alexandria,  but  Providence 
had  other  designs.  Mr.  Lansing  early  in  January  took  a 
severe  cold,  which  was  followed  by  a  cough,  causing  some 
fear  that  his  old  malady  was  about  to  return.  Mr.  Barnett 
and  he,  therefore,  proposed  going  up  the  Nile  a  short  dis- 
tance for  a  change  of  air  and  exploration  of  the<ifield,  intend- 
ing to  go  over  to  the  Faiyum  on  a  flying  visit.  Just  then, 
however,  a  distant  relative  of  Mr.  Lansing's  from  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  reached  Cairo  and  wished  to  ascend  the  Nile  for  a 
short  distance.  He  pressed  Mr.  Lansing  to  accompany  him 
and  his  party,  which  he  consented  to  do,  Mr.  Barnett  re- 
maining at  his  post  to  carry  on  the  work  in  conjunction  with 
Mr.  McCague,  who  had  several  ■'classes  in  the  school,  and 
was  engaged  daily  with  his  teacher  in  his  study  of  the  lan- 
guage. On  the  ist  of  February,  1857,  Mr.  McCague  con- 
ducted his  first  service  in  Arabic.     It  was  a  day  of  joy  and 


88  The  American  Mission 

thankfulness.  In  about  two  months  more  he  preached  again, 
and  soon  after,  when  not  prevented  by  sickness,  was  able  to 
take  his  turn  in  the  Arabic  services,  as  he  had  been  doing 
in  the  English.  After  the  return  of  Mr.  Lansing  with  his 
friends,  Mr.  Barnett  was  exposed  to  a  severe  sandstorm, 
which  he  thus  describes  in  a  letter  written  at  the  time  to  one 
of  his  relatives  in  America: 

"  This  has  been  one  of  those  awfully  windy  days  which 
frequently  happen  in  Egypt  about  this  season  of  the  year. 
The  wind  began  to  blow  early.  Then  a  hazy  appearance 
filled  the  whole  atmosphere,  which  increased  as  the  day  ad- 
vanced. I  was  out  several  times  during  the  day.  By  lo 
o'clock  it  was  beginning  to  be  so  dark  that  I  could  not  see 
the  mountains  east  of  the  city,  nor  the  mosques  and  minarets 
of  the  citadel,  nor  half  across  the  city.  The  haziness  con- 
tinued to  increase,  and  then  a  fine  small  dust  and  yellow 
sand  were  borne  in  the  air  and  carried  into  the  house  through 
every  crevice,  however  small.  I  have  heard  a  saying  that 
the  dust  and  sand  are  endowed  with  such  a  power  of  pene- 
tration that  they  will  go  through  the  shell  of  an  egg  and  affect 
its  contents,  leaving  the  shell  unbroken.  This  is,  of  course, 
an  exaggeration ;  but  it  shows  how  the  people  regard  the 
effect  of  such  storms.  The  rooms  exposed  to  the  strength 
of  the  storm,  although  kept  as  close  as  possible,  are  so  filled 
with  sand  and  dust  that  it  is  with  the  greatest  discomfort  one 
sits  in  them.  In  a  few  minutes  after  sweeping  and  dusting, 
everything  is  covered  the  same  as  before.  While  out  of  the 
house  I  got  my  nose,  eyes,  ears  and  mouth  full  of  this  dust, 
so  that  I  was  almost  suffocated,  and  the  wind  drifted  the  sand 
into  eddies  and  currents  like  snow." 

Soon  after  being  thus  exposed,  Mr.  Barnett  was  laid 
aside  with  fever,  from  which  he  did  not  recover  for  some 
weeks,  and  then  he  was  weak  and  unable  for  duty.  It  was, 
therefore,  thought  best  that  he  should  have  a  change,  and  in 
order  to  unite  means  of  recuperation  with  mission  work,  Mr. 
Lansing  and  he  hired  a  boat  for  a  month  and  made  a  trip  up 
as  far  as  Asyut,  improving  every  opportunity  to  converse 
with  the  people.  Among  other  places  visited  was  Colosana, 
where  they  spent  a  Sabbath.  Going  to  the  Coptic  church, 
they  were  warned  by  one  of  the  priests  not  to  enter,  on 
account  of  the  multitude  of  fleas.     They  showed  more  Ameri- 


Water  Carrier— Alexandria. 


IN  Egypt.  8g 

can  pluck  than  prudence,  however,  and  entered,  but  only  to 
be  obliged  to  beat  a  precipitate  retreat,  and  to  learn  a  lesson 
which  served  them  well  for  years  afterwards.  They  then 
sat  down  at  the  door  of  one  of  the  priests'  houses,  where 
the  following  conversation  took  place,  as  related  by  Dr. 
Lansing :  * 

"  About  the  first  question  put  to  us  was,  '  Are  you 
fasting  the  holy  fast  ?' 

"  '  No,'  we  replied. 

'"Why  not.?' 

"  '  Because  we  have  not  been  commanded  to  do  so,'  we 
answered. 

"  *  Did  not  the  Saviour  fast  forty  days  ? 

"  'Yes,  but  we  have  not  been  commanded,  neither  are 
we  able  to  do  as  He  did  ;  and  besides  you  do  not  follow  His 
example.  We  are  told  that  during  the  forty  days  he  neither 
ate  bread  nor  drank  water,  whereas  you  do  both.  That 
which  you  call  fasting  is  a  simple  exchange  of  one  kind  of 
food  for  another,  of  which  we  read  nowhere  in  the  Scrip- 
tures.' 

"  '  Do  you  never  fast  then  ?'  they  said. 

"  'Yes,'  we  replied;  but  thus  and  thus,  and  on  such 
and  such  occasions,  we  added. 

"'But  the  fathers  have  commanded  us  to  fast;  and 
surely  there  is  merit  in  thus  humbling  and  weakening  the 
body  for  the  strengthening  of  the  soul.' 

"  '  But,'  we  said,  '  God  has  not  commanded  us  to 
weaken  our  bodies,  but  has  given  us  our  powers  of  body  and 
mind,  and  commanded  us  to  love  and  serve  him  with  them 
all ;  and  as  for  the  commands  of  the  fathers,  we  know  that 
the  apostles  and  evangelists  and  early  Christians  who  lived 
before  the  fathers  were  saved  on  the  strength  of  the  things 
written  in  the  Word  of  God,  and  independently  of  the  tra- 
ditions which  were  afterwards  added,  and  we  by  the  grace  of 
God  hope  to  be  saved  in  the  same  way.' 

"  '  But  do  you  acknowledge  nothing  but  the  Bible  ?  Do 
you  have  no  monks  ?' 

"  We  replied  that  we  were  not  commanded  to  be 
monks. 

"  '  But,  did  not  the  Saviour  retire  to  the  mountains  and 
deserts  for  prayer  and  meditation  with  God  ?' 

*  Christian  Instructor,  vol.  13,  p.  383. 


90  The  American  Mission 

"  '  Yes,'  we  said,  '  but  only  temporarily.  He  spent  His 
life  in  going  about  doing  good,  and  commanded  His  apostles 
to  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature,  and  this  should  be  our  business  if  we  are  true 
successors.'  " 

Then,  as  for  many  years  after,  the  subject  first  brought 
up  by  the  Copt  was  that  of  fasting,  because  this,  in  fact, 
was  the  sum  and  substance  of  piety  in  his  estimation,  the 
ground  of  his  salvation,  the  one  thing  on  account  of  which 
he  pleased  the  Most  High  and  received  from  Him  the  pardon 
of  all  his  sins. 

On  their  way  down  the  river  they  made  a  short  trip  to 
the  Faiyum,  after  which  they  returned  to  Cairo  at  the  end 
of  the  month  for  which  they  had  hired  the  boat.  During 
their  brief  tour  they  discovered  that  there  were  many  Copts 
in  the  villages,  and  especially  in  the  province  of  Asyut. 
On  reaching  Cairo  they  found  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCague  in 
deep  concern  over  the  severe  illness  of  their  second  child. 
He  had  taken  the  smallpox.  His  vaccination  had  been  post- 
poned on  account  of  the  want  of  vaccine  matter,  and  being 
exposed  to  the  loathsome  disease  had  fallen  a  victim.  For 
some  days  the  child  became  better  and  worse,  causing  alter- 
nately hope  and  fear,  until  though  he  had  safely  passed 
through  all  the  stages  of  the  disease,  yet  he  died  of  ex- 
haustion on  May  2,  the  first  death  in  the  mission  circle,  little, 
but  none  the  less,  perhaps  all  the  more,  dear  to  the  mourning 
parents.  He  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  English  cemetery, 
where  he  was  joined  later  on  by  other  members  of  the  mis- 
sion families,  to  await  the  sound  of  the  last  trumpet. 

Soon  after  this  Mr.  Lansing  was  attacked  with  varioloid, 
but  recovered  after  a  short  time,  though  somewhat  weak- 
ened and  unfit  for  work  for  some  weeks.  All  meetings  were 
suspended  for  three  weeks,  to  allow  time  for  sanitation 
measures  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  disease. 

It  was  not  long  after  the  loss  of  his  child  that  Mr.  Mc- 
Cague had  a  severe  attack  of  ophthalmia,  and  the  health  of 
his  remaining  child  gave  way.  Fearing  serious  consequences 
in  both  cases  by  remaining   in   Cairo,   the   doctor   ordered 


IN  Egypt.  91 

them  to  seek  a  change  of  climate  in  Syria.  As  Mr.  Lansing 
was  going  on  to  Damascus,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  his 
household  furniture  to  Egypt,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCague  and 
their  little  one  accompanied  him.  They  left  on  June  5, 
taking  the  boat  at  Alexandria  for  Beirut.  Mr.  Barnett 
remained  at  his  post  in  Cairo  all  summer,  but  on  prudential 
grounds  he  suspended  the  Arabic  services  in  the  Haret-es- 
Sakkain  quarter  during  their  absence.  He  was  still  intend- 
ing to  remove  to  Alexandria  on  their  return,  and  in  the  mean- 
time commenced  a  correspondence  with  Dr.  Philip  on  this 
subject,  and  as  to  the  advisability  of  union  in  the  mission 
work  there  as  a  means  of  making  it  more  successful.  It 
was  also  the  desire  of  the  missionaries  in  Egypt  to  induce 
the  Board  at  home  to  allow  the  new  missionary  for  Damas- 
cus, the  Rev.  John  Crawford,  to  be  transferred  to  Egypt, 
and  for  this  purpose  they  corresponded  with  the  Board,  sug- 
gesting that  he  land  at  Alexandria  and  remain  there  on  his 
way  out  from  home.  In  this,  however,  they  were  not 
successful,  as  the  Damascus  mission  had,  at  that  time,  a 
large  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  in  America. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCague  and  child,  all  much  improved  in 
health,  returned  to  Egypt  early  in  October,  much  to  the 
relief  and  joy  of  Mr.  Barnett,  whose  vigor  had  been  some- 
what weakened  by  the  heat  of  the  summer,  together  with 
the  extra  work  that  had  fallen  on  him  on  account  of  the 
absence  of  his  colleagues.  From  this  time  to  the  end  of  the 
year  the  work  was  prosecuted  with  energy  and  persever- 
ance. 

The  owner  of  the  house  in  which  the  services  were 
held  threatened  to  increase  the  rent,  and  this  induced  the 
missionaries  to  look  around  for  other  quarters,  and  led  them 
to  consider  the  question  whether  it  would  not  be  better  to 
divide  their  forces,  and  occupy  two  points  in  Cairo  instead 
of  one.  This  division  was  agreed  upon,  and  Mr.  McCague 
rented  a  house  in  Haret-es-Sakkain.  To  this  house  he 
removed,  and  the  boys'  school  was  also  transferred  to  that 
center,  and  for  a  time  continued  to  grow  in  numbers  and 


92  The  American  Mission 

efficiency.  Mr.  McCa^^ue  had  also  in  this  way  an  independ- 
ent field  of  labor  in  which  to  use  his  talents  and  employ  his 
time  in  the  school  and  in  mingling  with  the  people.  Mr. 
Barnett  rented  another  house  near  his  former  headquarters, 
and  tiie  only  Arabic  service  was  held  in  it,  Messrs.  McCague 
and  Martin  giving  their  assistance.  The  English  service 
also  was  conducted,  as  usual,  by  the  three  in  turn,  but  the 
book  department  was  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Barnett.  The 
proceeds  of  sales  of  Scriptures  for  the  year  1857  amounted 
to  2000  piastres,  and  other  books  to  6000. 

Mr.  Lansing,  returning  from  Damascus,  landed  at  Alex- 
andria on  October  17,  and  was  joined  by  his  family  (who 
had  been  in  America  for  about  eighteen  months)  on  the  6th 
of  the  following  month.  Almost  immediately  it  was  decided 
that  Mr.  Lansing  instead  of  Mr.  Barnett  occupy  Alexandria, 
and  so  under  date  of  October  19,  1857,  Mr.  Lansing  wrote 
from  Alexandria,  saying  :  "I  sit  here  this  evening  in  what 
1  hope  will  be  my  future  home.  The  sea,  which  comes  up 
to  within  twenty  paces  of  the  house,  is  roaring  beneath  my 
window,  and  I  sit  with  my  gloomy  light  in  one  end  of  a 
room,  nearly  eighty  feet  in  length,  in  which  I  expect  on 
next  Sabbath  to  commence  declaring  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus.  May  it  be  said,  when  the  Lord  counts  and  writes 
the  people,  that  this  man  and  that  man  were  born  here." 
On  November  19,  he  wrote,  saying:  "The  week  after 
coming  here  we  gave  notice  that  on  the  following  Sabbath 
we  would  hold  Arabic  services  if  any  wished  to  attend. 
None  came,  however,  and  so  1  had  a  Sabbath  of  rest.  The 
next  Sabbath  two  natives  attended,  and  we  could  claim  the 
fulfilment  of  the  promise  given  to  two  or  three,  and  I  trust 
it  was  fulfilled.  The  following  Sabbath  seven  were  present, 
and  last  Sabbath  ten.     This  is  very  encouraging." 

The  attendance  remained  about  ten  during  the  month  of 
December.  Mr.  Lansing  was  not,  however,  the  only  worker 
in  Alexandria  at  that  time.  Indeed,  efforts  had  been  made 
and  were  being  made  by  several  others  on  various  lines. 
With   some  of  these   Mr.  Lansing  soon  was  on  the  most 


IN  Egypt.  93 

friendly  terms,  and  proposals  for  united  effort  were  made  on 
both  sides. 

This  would  seem  to  be  a  suitable  place  for  giving  a  brief 
statement  in  regard  to  what  had  already  been  attempted  in 
missionary  work  in  Alexandria,  and  how  far  success  had 
crowned  these  efforts,  and  what  were  the  proposals  for 
united  action  for  the  future. 

The  first  recorded  attempts  made  in  Alexandria  to 
spread  the  light  of  the  Gospel  in  that  ancient  city  in  modern 
times  were  through  the  personal  efforts  of  Rev.  Dr.  Her- 
mann Philip,  father  of  the  present  editor  and  proprietor  of 
the  "Egyptian  Gazette,"  and  the  Rev.  R.  Grant  Brown, 
who  came  out  under  the  auspices  of  a  Scotch  society  for 
the  conversion  of  the  Jews.  Little,  however,  was  accom- 
plished by  them  among  that  ancient  people,  except  to  explore 
the  field,  become  acquainted  with  its  needs  and  difficulties, 
and  suggest  what  seemed  to  them  the  best  means  for 
reaching  the  people  and  obtaining  opportunities  to  teach 
them  Gospel  truth.  As  a  result  of  their  investigations  and 
deliberations,  they  proposed  to  their  society  the  establishing 
of  a  Protestant  college  in  Alexandria,  and  to  secure  the 
realization  of  this  proposition  local  committees  were  formed 
in  Alexandria,  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  for  the  purpose  of 
collecting  the  necessary  funds.  Failing  in  their  efforts  to 
raise  sufficient  means  for  carrying  into  effect  this  project, 
and  "learning  that  the  teacher  whose  services  had  been 
secured  for  the  initiation  of  the  college  scheme  was  willing 
to  begin  a  school  on  a  smaller  scale,  the  committee  deter- 
mined to  open  a  school  of  humbler  pretensions  than  that 
which  was  originally  proposed.  In  this  they  were  encouraged 
by  the  grant  of  ^50  annually  from  the  Scottish  society  for  the 
conversion  of  the  Jews,  whose  honorary  secretary,  the 
Rev.  J.  L.  Sikman,  D.  D.,  had  taken  a  leading  part  in  the 
movement  from  the  beginning,"  In  consequence  of  this 
arrangement  a  Mr.  John  Hogg  (afterwards  Dr.  John  Hogg  of 
our  mission),  a  graduate  of  Edinburgh,  who  had  already 
taken  three  years  in  the  Divinity  Hall  in  that  city,  came 


94  The  American  Mission 

to  Alexandria  under  engagement  for  three  years.  He 
reached  Alexandria  on  December  6,  1856,  and  opened  the 
school  on  December  15  of  the  same  year  in  a  most  unsuit- 
able center,  and  in  a  most  uncomfortable  room  on  the  ground 
floor  of  Dr.  Philip's  house.  While  conducting  the  school  he 
prosecuted  the  study  of  Italian  and  Arabic,  and  in  a  few 
months  was  able  to  speak  the  former  with  acceptance  and 
profit.  During  1857  the  school  was  removed  to  an  old 
palace  in  the  Abu  Abbas  quarter.  Dr.  Philip  went  to  Malta 
during  the  summer  and  returned  to  Alexandria  for  only  a 
short  time,  the  Rev.  R,  Grant  Brown  having  already  left. 
Mr.  Hogg  thus  found  himself  in  full  charge  of  the  school, 
though  under  the  nominal  direction  of  the  local  committee. 
The  school  did  not  improve  in  the  new  house  to  which  it  had 
been  removed,  because  it  was  too  far  away  from  the  quarter 
from  which  pupils  would  be  expected  to  come.  This  was 
the  state  of  this  effort  at  mission  education  when  Mr.  Lan- 
sing arrived.  Efforts  had  been  made,  as  I  have  already 
intimated,  to  effect  a  union  with  Dr.  Philip  in  the  educational 
and  other  departments  of  mission  work  in  Alexandria,  but 
nothing  had  been  accomplished.  On  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Lansing,  Mr.  Hogg  gave  up  his  house  to  him  and  his  family 
and  became  their  guest.  The  Scottish  Mission  to  the  Jews 
gave  up  that  year  all  its  work  to  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Scotland,  and  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of 
that  Church  proposed  at  first  to  concentrate  its  missionary 
efforts  in  Alexandria,  but  on  Dr.  Philip  asking  a  sum  of 
;£i,6oo  for  the  work  there,  which  they  considered  more 
than  they  could  collect,  they  therefore  refused  to  give  their 
consent.  Dr.  Philip  then  withdrew,  and  the  mission,  as  far 
as  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  Scotland  was  con- 
cerned, was  abandoned.  Negotiations  were  still  carried  on 
by  the  local  committee  in  Alexandria,  with  this  one  result, 
that  a  promise  of  aid  to  the  amount  of  jQ<)0  o  year  was 
secured  towards  the  support  of  the  boys'  school. 

In  addition  to  the  boys'  school   under  the  direction  of 
Mr.  Hogg,  there  was  also  a  girls'  school  in  Alexandria  at  the 


IN  Egypt.  ge 


time  our  missionary  took  up  his  residence  there.     The  origin 
of  this  school  was  in  consequence  of  Dr.  Philip  and  Rev.  R. 
Grant  Brown's  visit  to  Scotland  after  they  had  been  some 
years  in  Alexandria.     In  their  efforts  to  stir  up  the  people  of 
Scotland  to  take  an  interest  and  share  in  female  education  in 
the   East,  they  succeeded   in   having  a  ladies'   association 
formed  in  Paisley  *  for  the  promotion  of  the  Christian  educa- 
tion of  girls  in  Alexandria.     A  young  woman,  of  peculiar 
Imguistic  qualifications  for  conducting  an  educational  institu- 
tion in  that  city  of  many  creeds  and  tongues,  was  secured  in 
the  person  of  a  Miss  Pringle.     A  house  was  rented  in  a  nar- 
row, dark  alley,  called  the  street  of  the  Ropemakers,  situated 
about  three  minutes'  walk  from  the  Grand  Square,  and  a 
school  was  opened  in  the  month  of  December,  1856.     The 
rapid  growth  of  this  school  surprised  everyone.     Dr.  Hogg, 
m  "  Times  of  Blessing,"  wrote  of  this  effort  as  follows  :     "I 
do  not  recollect,  after  twenty  years'  experience,  to  have  seen 
any  similar  attempt  crowned  with  such  success  in  the  same 
space  of  time.     In  the  course  of  one  year  Miss  Pringle  found 
herself  m  a  crowded  school-room,  surrounded  by  eighty  or 
ninety  girls  of  various  ages  and  attainments,  and  of  different 
religions  and  nationalities,  although  the  majority  were  Jew- 
esses.    Her  very  success,  however,   threatened  the  effort 
With  early  failure,  for,  having  no  efficient  assistant,  she  was 
tempted,  as  most  of  our  missionaries  frequently  are  to  over- 
task her  strength,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1857  she  was  con- 
strained to  return  to  Scotland.     The  local  committee  carried 
on  the  school  for  a  short  time  by  means  of  such  teachers  as 
could  be  obtained  in  the  country."     This  was  the  condition 
of  this  enterprise  when  Mr.  Lansing  commenced   mission 
work  in  Alexandria  on  behalf  of  our  mission. 

The  year  1857  closed  with  Mr.  Lansing  and  Mr.  Hoag 
occupymg  the  same  house  in  Alexandria,  and  assisting  each 
other  in  the  mission  work.  Mr.  Hogg,  for  the  most  part,  en- 
gagedjnjthe^ucational  department,  in  which  few,  I  may 


90  The  American  Mission 

say  none,  ever  surpassed  him  ;  while  Mr.  Lansing  spent  the 
most  of  his  time  and  strength  in  the  evangelistic  department, 
both  in  English  and  Arabic.  There  was  yet  no  formal  union, 
but  negotiations  had  already  been  opened  looking  to  a  union 
between  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  Scotland  and 
the  Associate  Reformed  Church  of  North  America,  for  the 
prosecution  of  mission  work  in  the  maritime  city  of  Egypt. 
There  was,  however,  a  union  of  kindred  spirits  in  the  Lord's 
work,  which  continued  till  first  the  one  and  then  the  other 
were  called  up  to  be  with  their  Master. 

The  year  closed  in  Cairo  with  Messrs.  Barnett  and  Mc- 
Cague  both  on  the  ground.  Mr.  McCague  was  just  begin- 
ning to  convalesce  after  a  severe  attack  of  fever,  and  Mr. 
Barnett  was  more  and  more  feeling  the  effects  of  a  long  resi- 
dence in  the  East  without  any  change.  The  attendance  at 
Arabic  service  had  increased,  the  school  continued  to  grow 
in  numbers  and  efficiency.  Through  the  book  department 
the  Scriptures  and  other  religious  books  were  being  put  into 
the  hands  of  the  people.  Thus  the  seed  was  being  sown  for 
a  future  harvest. 


IN  Egypt. 

97 


CHAPTER  VI. 


rnisS-!iTmllVl\l^^^^^^^  ^^^^'  ^^hool.  Alexandria,  to  our 

visits  Jerusalem-Sabbath  schoSs^*^^^^  '"  ^?'"Pany.  with  Mr.  Lansing 

ings  in  Haret  es-Sakkain  S  ro_sS  ^wS  m'J  ''mo"..^'"' V^''^"!:"^  meet- 
ica-Father  Makhiel  and  A  copy  of  the  RibK^  V-f^'  ^'^'^'"  '^^'^''^^^  ^o''  ^'"er- 
and  trembling-Sickness  in  isL-Mr  ^"?'?-^'^l<'iess  'n  1858-Times  of  fear 
to  Sinai-Mn  Hogg  leaves  for Vmtl -ufi'^R ^"*'. ^"f  *?  Tunis-Mr.  Lansing 
Mr.  Lansing's  care-Bil^Ie  denote  n?!l;i~^.7^  ^'^''""^  '"  Alexandria  under 
dies-Dr.  f^aterJS  goS  to  Cairo^  Rrl'".^L'^^"^'''^*  ^"^'  Cairo-Dr.  Abbit 
John  Hogg  appointed  mi^JnnVrt?r^^^  communion  in  Arabic-i86o-Mr 
cay  and  ufser^al-Ref^nS  Sco  hn'f  nin"  ^^'^P^^'^'^^^  >"  Bay  of  Bis- 
ization  of  Presbytery-Mr  Hoee  or  ?^  nM  ^5^^°'"^^'^  «"*  ^y  P^^ris-Organ- 
among  them-Visits  to  t  le  Arserf-.  1  WnH '^"'^^^"f^^^  '"  Alexandria- Work 
munity  in  Cairo-Bfble  distribution"  ^'"''"^  *'''  ^"g'ish-speaking  com- 

1858.     This  year  opened  with  doors  of  usefulness  widen- 
ng   missionary  opportunities  multiplying,  but  the  workers 

Teni'^r       T  ''  "'^'^^"^'  ^^^°"Sh  long  residence  in 
an  ene.vating  climate.     For  some  time  Mr.  McCague  re" 
mamed  in  a  weak  state  in  consequence  of  the  fever,  and  on 
partially  recovering  strength  was  attacked  by  a  sev;re  form 
of  rheumatism,  from  which  he  suffered  excruciating  pa  n 
and  was  thereby  rendered  unable  for  work  for  som^  tim  ' 
At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  missionaries,  held  early  in  18^8 
ey  did  not  appear,  however,  to  be  in  any  sense  discour  g  d' 
or  to  have  any  intention  of  restricting  their  field  of  labor 
but  rather  looked  hopefully  into  the  future  and  d  terr^i  ed  to 
push  onward  the  work  and  extend  it  to  other  towns'nd  vH- 
lages.      n  their  annual  report  they  say:     "  Asyut  ought  to 
have  at  least  two  married  missionaries,  one  of  whom 'oth 
by  all  means  to  be  a  physician.     Girga  and   Luxor  are  the 
next  in  importance  as  main  stations.     We  ought  to  have,  and 
must  have,   and  that  speedily,  at  least  another  family   in 


98  The  American  Mission 

As  to  Alexandria,  the  girls'  school  formerly  conducted 
by  Miss  Pringle  was  formally  transferred  to  our  mission,  by 
order  of  the  ladies'  society  of  Paisley.  Dr.  Philip  was  very 
desirous  to  have  it  passed  over  to  Mr.  Yule,  who  had  recently 
arrived  on  the  field  under  the  auspices  of  the  Established 
Church  of  Scotland,  to  labor  among  the  Jews,  but  the  ladies' 
committee  of  Alexandria  said  they  had  received  orders  from 
Scotland  to  deliver  it  over  to  Mr.  Lansing,  of  the  American 
mission,  and  that  they  had  already  carried  out  these  instruc 
tions.  Miss  Sarah  B.  Dales,  who  had  been  connected  with 
our  Damascus  mission,  was  transferred  to  the  Egyptian  mis- 
sion and  put  in  direct  charge  of  this  school.  Writing  on  July 
17,  1858,  she  said  :  "  1  reached  Alexandria  on  May  28,  and 
on  the  following  day  was  introduced  by  Mr.  Lansing  to  the 
female  Protestant  school,  and  have  since  been  most  actively 
engaged  in  the  discharge  of  my  favorite  duties.  This  school, 
you  are  aware,  was  under  the  patronage  of  a  society  of 
Christian  ladies  in  Scotland,  and  in  charge  of  a  teacher  sent 
out  and  supported  by  them.  Her  health,  however,  failing 
during  the  last  year,  and  thus  obliging  her  to  return  home, 
the  school  gradually  declined  for  want  of  permanent  and 
efficient  teachers.  Unable  to  continue  it  longer  under  such 
unfavorable  auspices,  it  was  urged  by  the  committee  in  Alex- 
andria, and  cordially  sanctioned  by  the  society  of  Paisley, 
that  it  be  given  under  the  direction  of  our  mission  here,  they 
still  pledging  their  continued  patronage  and  interest  in  the 
undertaking,  which  they  had  so  tenderly  and  prayerfully 
fostered.  During  the  month  and  a  half  of  our  connection 
with  it,  we  have  received  more  than  eighty  girls,  with  a  daily 
average  of  thirty-five,  large  numbers  being  kept  at  home  on 
account  of  ophthalmia,  it  is  quite  a  Jewess  school,  there 
being  only  a  few  Christian  girls,  and  but  one  Muslim." 

Thus  in  the  providence  of  God  our  mission  entered 
upon  the  result  of  Miss  Pringle's  arduous  labors,  and  was 
permitted  to  build  on  the  foundation  she  laid  so  well.  God 
in  this  way  was  telling  our  missionaries  to  go  forward  and 
occupy  in  the  name  of  His  Son,  to  whom  he  has  promised 


IN  Egypt. 


99 


to  give  the  "heathen  for  an  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth  for  a  possession,"  and  Miss  Dales,  with 
her  natural  vivacity,  tact,  intelligence,  and  Christian  earn- 
estness, v/as  a  fitting  successor  to  Miss  Pringle,  and  under 
her  management  and  instruction  the  school  soon  became  an 
important  agency  in  training  the  girls  of  Alexandria,  among 
them  many  Jewesses,  in  branches  of  education  calculated 
to  make  them  useful  in  the  world,  and  happy  in  eternity. 

The  boys'  school  remained  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Hogg, 
who,  however,  through  intense  application  to  the  study  of 
the  language,  and  instruction  and  management  of  the  school , 
got  into  such  a  condition  of  sleeplessness  that  for  six  weeks 
he  was  not  conscious  of  having  slept  any,  and  in  addition 
was  tormented  with  violent  headache  and  toothache,  and  in 
consequence  became  utterly  unfit  for  duty.  His  physician 
imperatively  insisted  on  his  leaving  Alexandria  for  a  time, 
and  friends  in  the  city  constrained  him  to  obey  his  orders  as 
the  only  means  of  preventing  more  serious  consequences. 
So  in  company  with  a  Free  Church  licentiate  from  Scotland, 
he  visited  Cairo  during  the  months  of  January  and  February. 
Mr.  Lansing  and  a  Syrian,  by  name  Khalil  Sidawi,  carried 
on  the  school  during  his  absence.  During  the  month  of 
April,  Mr.  Hogg  and  Mr.  Lansing  made  a  short  visit  to  Jeru- 
salem and  its  surroundings,  leaving  the  school  in  charge  of 
the  same  Syrian,  but  the  attendance  greatly  decreased  until 
only  twelve  remained.  However,  after  a  new  home  was  found 
for  it  near  the  Square,  the  attendance  gradually  improved 
until  it  reached  thirty-five  in  November.  From  this  time 
the  school  was  practically,  though  not  nominally,  connected 
with  the  American  Mission,  and  it  was  then  that  a  fee  for 
tuition  was  imposed  on  those  who  were  able  to  pay,  es- 
pecially in  case  they  were  learning  some  foreign  language. 
About  this  juncture,  too,  a  Sabbath  school  for  girls  was  com- 
menced in  the  morning,  and  another  for  boys  in  the  after- 
noon. The  two  were  subsequently  merged  into  one ;  a 
simple  gospel  address  being  given  to  the  scholars  just  before 
the  morning  service  by  Mr.  Hogg, 


100  The  American  Mission 

Services  in  English  and  Arabic  were  conducted  by  Mr. 
Lansing  in  his  house  at  Abu  Abbas  until  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Yule,  to  whom  Mr.  Lansing  proposed  that  the  English  ser- 
vice be  taken  in  turn.  Mr.  Yule,  however,  secured  the  use 
of  the  Prussian  chapel,  in  the  European  quarter  of  the  city, 
and  for  the  most  part  conducted  the  English  service  himself. 
The  attendance  at  the  Arabic  service  was  about  sevent);/ 
from  fifty  to  sixty  of  whom  were  scholars  who  attended  the 
schools  during  the  week.  At  this  time,  Mr.  Khalil  Sidawi, 
already  mentioned,  was  a  regular  attendant,  and  bright 
hopes  were  entertained  of  his  future,  as  he  was  a  studious 
and  intelligent  young  man,  and  had  expressed  a  desire  to 
study  for  the  ministry,  and  Mr.  Lansing  commenced  to  give 
him  some  preparatory  instructions ;  but  parties  advised  him 
to  go  to  England  or  Scotland  and  prosecute  his  studies.  This 
plan  he  greatly  desired  to  carry  out,  but  the  way  and  means 
not  being  secured  as  he  expected,  he  finally  lost  his  interest 
in  religion,  and  ceased  to  attend  the  Arabic  services,  causing 
much  disappointment  to  those  who  entertained  bright  hopes 
in  regard  to  his  future  usefulness  in  the  Lord's  vineyard. 

Turning  to  Cairo,  we  find  that  the  work  in  its  various 
departments  was  carried  on  without  interruption,  except  that, 
on  account  of  Mr.  McCague's  severe  illness,  the  services  on 
the  Sabbath  in  Haret-es-Sakkain  were  not  resumed  until 
April  II.  The  attendance  until  the  end  of  the  year  varied 
somewhat,  but  generally  consisted  of  from  ten  to  twelve 
adults,  in  addition  to  the  school  children.  An  evening  read- 
ing class  was  opened  by  Mr.  McCague,  at  which  a  few 
attended,  among  them  Mr.  Saleh  Awad,  a  grain  merchant, 
whose  house  was  just  across  the  narrow  street  from  Mr. 
McCague's  residence,  and  who  was  a  man  of  good  character, 
but  very  zealous  in  defending  the  doctrines  and  practices  of 
the  Coptic  Church.  When  any  statement  was  made  that 
seemed  to  clash  with  the  tenets  or  ritual  of  his  mother 
Church,  he  would  immediately  object  and  ask  for  proofs  to 
establish  the  truth  of  the  declaration.  This  gave  Mr.  Mc- 
Cague the  opportunity  to  read  passages  of  Scriptures  bearing 


IN  EGYPT.  lOI 

on  the  subject,  which  would  for  the  time  bring  him  to  silence. 
But  next  day  he  was  sure  to  go  to  his  priest  and  ask  him  to 
produce  proofs  from  the  Word  of  God  to  establish  the  truth 
of  the  teachings  of  his  Church,  and  finding  him  utterly 
unable  to  produce  any  such  proofs,  he  would  at  first  sullenly 
brood  over  the  subject,  and  then  at  last  unwillingly  assent 
to  Mr.  McCague's  position,  but  gradually  was  led  to  adopt  it 
as  his  own  and  defend  it  against  the  members  of  his  ov\'n 
Church.  Every  question  of  difference  between  the  Coptic 
doctrines  and  evangelical  Christianity  he  fought  out  in  detail 
in  this  way  with  Mr.  McCague,  until  he  became  thoroughly 
rooted  and  grounded  in  the  faith.  He  would  receive  no  proof 
except  from  God's  Word,  and  when  his  priest  would  take 
him  to  the  sayings  of  the  fathers  and  the  councils  he  would 
say,  "  1  do  not  want  these  ;  I  want  the  chapter  and  verse  in 
some  book  of  the  Old  Testament  or  the  New."  No  wonder 
he  developed  into  a  Christian  of  strong  character,  and 
became  one  of  the  elders  in  the  first  session  of  the  Cairo 
congregation. 

The  school  for  boys  in  Haret-es-Sakkain  was  still 
taught  by  Mr.  A  wad  Hanna,  and  had  an  attendance  of  thirty- 
five,  Mr.  McCague  giving  the  Bible  lesson  and  instruction- to 
some  boys  in  the  English  language. 

Mr.  Barnett  remained  in  the  Darb-el-Ganeina  district, 
and  conducted  the  Arabic  services  on  the  Lord's  day.  It 
appears  from  his  diary  that  he  often  visited  the  English  resi- 
dents, and  was  especially  attentive  and  faithful  in  the 
visitation  of  the  sick,  the  suffering,  and  the  mourning. 
Messrs.  Martin,  McCague  and  he  continued  to  conduct  the 
English  service  in  turns,  until  the  former  left  for  America 
with  his  helper,  on  April  17. 

Among  those  who  frequently  called  on  Mr.  Barnett  at 
that  time  was  a  Coptic  monk,  called  Makhiel,  from  Belyana, 
a  small  town  in  the  upper  country,  not  far  from  Girga.  He 
was  of  an  inquiring  turn  of  mind,  with  a  fair  knowledge  of 
the  Scriptures,  a  very  unusual  thing  among  Coptic  monks 
at    that   time.     He    had  a  great    love    for    reading   when 


102  The  American  Mission 

he  was  in  the  monastery,  and  had  acquired  a  remarkable 
knowledge  of  Eastern  Church  history  and  the  history  of  his 
own  branch  of  the  Church  in  particular,  and  was  able  to  give 
useful  information  on  many  points  connected  with  Chris- 
tianity and  its  various  phases  in  the  Nile  valley.  When  he 
first  went  to  the  convent  he  had  never  seen  a  complete  copy 
of  God's  Word.  He  was  anxious  to  get  possession  of  a  copy 
in  his  own  tongue,  and  he  realized  his  wishes  in  the  follow- 
ing manner.  A  brother  monk  returned  to  the  convent  one 
day  bringing  with  him  a  large  book  which  had  been  given  to 
him,  most  likely  by  an  agent  of  the  Church  Mission  So- 
ciety, which  was  accustomed  to  distribute  the  Scriptures 
gratuitously  in  the  Nile  valley.  Makhiel  asked  him  to  let 
him  look  at  the  book.  To  his  great  delight  he  found  it  was 
a  complete  copy  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  in  Arabic, 
printed  for  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  After 
reading  in  it  awhile  he  determined  to  try  and  buy  it  from 
his  brother  monk.  Fortunately  the  monk  did  not  have  much 
love  for  reading,  but  was  in  great  need  of  a  pair  of  shoes. 
So  Makhiel  proposed  to  give  him  a  pair  of  new  shoes  in 
barter  for  the  Bible.  The  monk  readily  agreed  to  this,  and 
Makhiel  secured  the  long-wished-for  book.  In  this  he  read 
constantly  until  he  became  quite  familiar  with  its  contents, 
and  was  able  to  refer  to  any  passage  without  the  use  of  a 
concordance.  In  after  years,  when  I  was  brought  in  con- 
tact with  him  in  mission  work  in  Alexandria,  Monsurah  and 
Cairo,  I  often  envied  him  his  readiness  in  locating  passages 
of  Scripture.  Of  him,  Mr.  Barnett  wrote,  in  the  annual 
report  for  1858,  when  he  was  enumerating  and  describing 
those  who  were  regular  attendants  at  Divine  worship  :  "  A 
third  is  a  priest  of  the  Coptic  Church.  He  is  to  all  appear- 
ances sincere,  and  is  well  acquainted  with  the  principles  of 
our  Church.  He  has  been  a  constant  attendant  at  our  ser- 
vices for  more  than  a  year,  and  we  have  known  him  much 
longer ;  but  he  has  no  means  of  livelihood,  and  as  he  has  little 
education  we  can  make  but  little  use  of  him.  He  has  been 
of  some  use,  however,  in  conversing  with  the  people,  and  in 


IN  Egypt.  iq^ 

inducing  a  few  to  attend  our  meetings."     This  priest  will 
often  appear  in  the  history  of  the  mission,  and  proved  to  be 
of  much  more  use  in  the  Lord's  work  than  Mr.  Barnett  at 
first  supposed,      hi  1858  he  interfered  more  than  was  agree- 
able with  Mr.  Barnett's  time  for  study  and  preparation,  and 
often  intimated   that  he  would  like  to  give  himself  to  the 
service  of  the  mission  provided  he  could  get  even  a  bare 
living  ;  but  Mr.  Barnett,  with  his  natural  cautiousness  and 
conservatism,  gave  him  no  encouragement.      Mr.  Barnett 
lived,  however,  long  enough  to  think  ^better  of  his  qualifica- 
tions, and  to  acquiesce  in  his  being  set  apart  to  the  ministry 
of  the  Word.     Among  others  who  attended  regularly  was  an 
Armenian,  by  name  Menas  Yacob,  who  afterwards  made  a 
public  profession  of  his  faith  and  united  with  our  Church 
and  subsequently  became  an  elder  in  the  Cairo  congregation! 
The  year  1858  had  its  trials  and  anxieties.     Mr.  Mc- 
Cague  was  ill  for  more  than  three  months.     Mr.  Barnett, 
too,  was  often  troubled  with  weakness  and  dizziness.     On 
one  occasion  he  was  in  such  a  serious  condition  that  twelve 
leeches  had  to  be  applied  to  his  chest  and  blisters  to  his 
head.     Mr.  Hogg,  as  we  have  seen,  was  laid  aside  for  two 
months.     Mr.  Barnett  was  anxious  to  take  a  change  by  going 
to  America  for  a  year  or  two,  but  he  thought  he  could  not 
leave  until  some  one  came  out  to  aid  Mr.  McCague,  who  was 
seldom  in  vigorous  health. 

For  a  time  all  the  missionaries  were  in  great  anxiety 
1858  was  the  year  during  which  the  English  and  French  took 
Canton,  the  year  of  the  terrible  mutiny  in  India,  and  the 
year  of  the  fanatical  and  brutal  massacre  in  Jedda.  The 
news  of  revolts,  wars  and  massacres  had  its  influence  on  the 
Muslim  population.  Their  natural  hatred  to  Christians 
showed  itself  more  and  more  every  day.  Past  experience 
had  taught  the  Christians  and  Jews  to  be  suspicious.  The 
Muslims  threw  out  hints  and  threats.  They  had  heard  of 
the  uprising  in  India,  and  of  the  riots  and  murders  in  Jedda 
They  were  known  to  be  meditating  an  uprising  in  Cairo  and 
Alexandria.     They  were  suspected  of  making  preparations 


J34  The  AMERICAN  Mission 

to  carry  out  their   intentions.     The  air  was  full  of  rumors; 
many  lived  in  great  terror  night  and  day.     The  Muhamma- 
dans  became  aware  of  the  fear  that  fell  upon  the  Christians, 
and  they  intentionally,  by  looks,  gestures  and  words,   in- 
creased that  fear.     The  missionaries  were  quite  aware  of 
their  own  danger,  and  were  prepared  to  hear  of  an  uprising 
at  any  time,  nTght  or  day.     They  prayed  together  and  com- 
mitted themselves  to  the  care  of  Him  whose  glory  they  came 
to  Egypt  to  promote.     The  missionaries  in  Alexandria  lived 
in  tlie  Muhammadan  quarter,  and  every  day  had  opportunity 
to  notice  the  threatening  demeanor  of  the  Muslims,  and  knew 
that  there  was  real  cause  for  fearing  the  worst.     Miss  Dales 
had  to  be  accompanied  to  and  from  the  school  by  one  of  the 
gentlemen,  for  not  only  the  populace  threatened  her,  but  even 
the  soldiers  on  duty  had  insulted  her  in  various  ways,  and 
on  one  occasion  attempted  to  push  her  off  her  donkey  as  she 
was  riding  along.     In  their  residence,  too,  the  missionaries 
were  in  gTeat  danger,  because  they  were  surrounded  by  the 
most  fanatical  persons  in  the  city,  and  their  house  would 
most  likely  be  the  first  to  be  attacked.     Mr.  Yule,  of  the 
Scotch  mission,  kindly  offered  them  the  use  of  a  house  in  the 
European  quarter.     As  they  did  not  wish  to  show  any  evi- 
dence of  fear,  they  remained  in  their  house  and  continued  at 
their  usual  duties ;  but  they  were  kept  in  such  a  state  of 
perturbation  on  account  of  what  they  heard  and  witnessed 
in  the   neighborhood,  that  they  were  ready  to  put  the  worst 
construction   on    anything  that   might   occur.      One   night 
(before  the  action  of  Sa'id  Pasha  in  Cairo),  after  retiring  to 
rest,  and  when  the  greatest  fear  possessed  the  non-Muslim 
population  of  Alexandria,  they  were  aroused  from  their  repose 
by  a  violent  knockmg  at  the  door,  and  on  looking  out  at  the 
window  they  saw  a  motley  crowd  with  torches,  guns  and 
swords  standing  around  the  door,  as  if  they  were  intent  upon 
entering.      The  missionaries  thought,  "This,   now,  is   the 
beginning  of  the  threatened  religious  riot.     As  we  expected, 
we  are  the  first  to  be  attacked."     For  a  few  minutes  they 
were  at  a  loss  what  to  do,  but  finally  concluded  they  would 


u 


**•«, . 


IN  Egypt.  105 

remain  silent  and  see  wliat  v\ould  be  the  result.  By  and  by, 
the  person  of  their  own  servant  was  discovered  among  the 
crowd,  and  from  various  expressions,  which  were  caught  in 
the  general  din  and  confusion,  it  became  apparent  that  there 
was  no  intention  on  the  part  of  the  crowd  to  injure  any  one. 
On  account  of  the  resistance  of  the  servant  to  the  police, 
who  wished  to  put  him  in  ward  for  the  night  and  fine  him 
for  breaking  the  law  by  being  out  after  a  certain  hour  with- 
out a  lantern,  the  people  had  collected  and  accompanied  the 
policemen  to  the  house.  The  servant  reckoned  on  being 
preserved  from  the  consequences  of  his  act  by  pleading  he 
was  in  the  service  of  a  Frank.  The  missionaries  thought 
best  not  to  interfere  with  the  execution  of  the  law,  but  allowed 
the  servant  to  make  the  best  terms  he  could  with  the 
police. 

hi  Cairo  the  excitement  was  even  greater  than  in  Alex- 
andria. It  was  reported  that  thirty  craft  full  of  Bedouin 
Arabs  were  coming  up  the  Red  Sea  to  attack  Suez.  The 
Christians  there  became  very  uneasy,  especially  as  their 
Muslim  servants  became  very  insolent  and  threatening. 
Arabs  from  the  desert  were  hovering  about  the  town,  wait- 
ing for  the  expected  opportunity  of  plunder.  At  this  juncture 
an  application  was  made  to  the  governor  for  more  troops, 
and,  thanks  to  the  promptitude  of  the  government,  the  addi- 
tional force  soon  arrived,  and  then  the  Arabs  disappeared 
from  the  neighborhood  In  Cairo  a  Christian  merchant 
asked  a  Muslim  to  pay  a  debt  due  to  him.  This  he  refused 
to  do.  At  this  a  war  of  words  commenced  between  them, 
and  the  Muslim  who  had  always  before  acted  in  an  honest 
and  quiet  manner,  angrily  called  out  that  he  would  never 
pay,  but  would,  before  many  days  passed,  find  an  opportu- 
nity of  putting  him  out  of  the  way.  Others  who  presented 
notes  for  payment  had  the  notes  snatched  from  their  hands, 
and  torn  to  pieces  before  their  eyes.  Many  petty  mis- 
demeanors were  perpetrated  by  the  Muslims,  until  almost  a 
reign  of  terror  was  produced.  Some  twenty  names  of  guilty 
persons  were  reported  by  the  English  and  French  consuls, 


io6  The  American  Mission 

and  the  pasha  had  them  apprehended  and  imprisoned. 
Information  was  communicated  to  the  pasha  that  arms  were 
concealed  in  the  Azhar  mosque,  and,  on  searching,  it  was 
found  to  be  true  and  they  were  removed  to  the  citadel.  The 
Greek  consul  ordered  his  people  to  prepare  to  defend  them- 
selves in  case  they  were  attacked,  and  they  were  not  slow 
in  taking  advantage  of  his  orders  to  provide  themselves 
with  various  weapons,  which  they  are  too  ready  to  use  even 
in  an  unlawful  manner.  Other  Europeans  supplied  themselves 
with  guns  and  ammunition,  and  put  their  dwellings  in  a 
state  of  defence.  Christians  living  in  the  suburbs  moved 
into  the  city  for  greater  safety.  The  Muslims  became 
bolder  day  by  day,  and  cursed  tiie  Christians  and  Jews  as 
they  passed  along  the  streets.  Matters  were  evidently 
coming  to  a  crisis,  and  had  not  the  pasha  opportunely  inter- 
vened with  a  strong  hand,  the  horrors  of  Jedda  would  have 
been  repeated  on  a  large  scale.  The  consuls  having  made 
representations  to  the  viceroy,  and  he,  knowing  where  to 
apply  the  remedy,  called  into  his  presence  the  Muhamma- 
dan  sheikhs,  especially  those  of  the  Azhar,  and  said  to 
them,  "  1  am  not  the  governor  of  Jedda.  1  am  Sa'id  Pasha, 
the  viceroy  of  Egypt,  and  if  there  should  be  any  uprising 
against  the  Christians  in  Cairo  you  will  be  held  responsible 
and  your  heads  cut  off."  The  viceroy's  words  had  the 
desired  effect,  for  in  a  very  short  time  tranquility  and  con- 
fidence were  restored.  If  a  less  energetic  and  less  liberal- 
minded  man  had  been  commander  of  the  ship  of  state  there 
would  have  been  fearful  massacres,  both  in  Cairo  and  Alex- 
andria. But  the  Lord,  who  turns  the  hearts  of  kings  as  the 
rivers  of  waters,  and  rules  in  the  councils  of  the  nations, 
raising  up  one  and  overthrowing  another,  ordered  that  such 
a  one  as  Sa'id  Pasha  occupy  the  chair  of  state  at  such  a 
juncture,  that  by  his  justice  and  energy  the  threatened  revolt 
against  those  who  bear  the  Christian  name  should  be  pre- 
vented, and  a  time  of  tranquility  should  be  given  for  the 
spread  of  divine  truth.  Foreigners  and  Christians  owed 
much  to  Sa'id  Pasha's  impartial,  intelligent,  and  firm  rule, 


IN  Egypt.  ^qj 


and  during-  his  reign  our  mission  laid  the  foundations  of  tl^u 
work  which  afterwards  could  not  be  overthrown  by  the 
bitterest  opposition  from  civil  and  religious  rulers  combined 
against  it. 

The  year  1859  was  one  of  hard  and  steady  work  on  the 
part  of  those  who  were  on   the   field   and   able  for   duty 
There  was,  however,  no  little  sickness  among  the  mission- 
aries.    Mr.  Lansing  was  laid  aside  for  a  time.     Miss  Dales 
was  not  as  vigorous  as  usual.     Mr.  Barnett  was  unfitted  for 
work  for  some  weeks  with  an  ugly  abscess,  which  troubled 
him  more  or  less  for  some  months  until  he  got  relief  by  the 
help  of  an  English  doctor.     Besides,  he  was  still  troubled  by 
the  dizziness,  which  I  have  already  mentioned,  and  was  very 
anxious  for  reinforcements,  that  he  might  be  able  to  take 
his  change  to  his  native  land.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCaaue  were 
both  111,  the  former  quite  frequently,  and  at  one  tfme  dan- 
gerously,   so   that   his  life  was  despaired  of,  and  as  a  last 
resort  he  was  ordered  to  leave  the  field  for  a   time      He 
made  a  trip  by  the  sea  to  Beirut,   and  then  to  Tunis   and 
was  greatly  benefited  by  it.     He  was  so  much  pleased  with 
the  climate  of  Tunis,  and  was  so  much  impressed  with  the 
religious  needs  of  the  people  there  and  the  openings  for  mis- 
sion work,  that  he  proposed  to  the  Board  to  open  a  station 
t^iere.     Mr.  Barnett,  in  company  with  Dr.   Taylor,   of  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,   made  a  trip  to  Sinai  in 
June  for  the  purpose  of   regaining   his   strength   after   his 
Illness,  and  to  look  for  a  summer  resort  and  a  place  for  -i 
sanitarium   for  the   Egyptian  missionaries.       He    returned 
much  improved,  but  learned  that  he  had  gone  there  at  least 
a  month  too  late  for  comfort  in  traveling,  and   came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  fatigue  to  be  endured  in  gettina  to  Sinai 
on  account  of  the  distance  and  the  character  of  the  travel- 
ing, would  effectually  eliminate  it  from  the  number  of  places 
as  possible  sanitariums  for  the  mission.      The  viceroy   even 
after  making  a  carriage  road  for  a  distance  and  commencing 
the  erection  of  a  house  on  one  of  the  mountain  summits, 
came  to  the  same  conclusion. 


io8  The  American  Mission 

Mr.  Hogg,  after  a  fruitless  attempt  to  prevail  upon  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  of  Scotland  to  resume  work  in 
Alexandria,  or  at  least  support  him  there,  and  learning  that 
the  committee  at  home  were  unsuccessful  in  raising  the 
funds  necessary  to  meet  their  past  obligations  to  him,  finally 
requested  permission  from  the  local  committee  to  return  to 
Scotland  for  the  purpose  of  finishing  his  theological  studies 
and  receiving  licensure.  This  permission  was  granted, 
with  the  expression  of  a  strong  hope  that  God  would  open 
up  the  way  for  his  return.  Before  he  left  the  country  all 
the  missionaries  met  in  Cairo  about  the  Easter  holidays  and 
spent  some  days  in  deliberation  on  the  necessities  of  the 
mission  work,  and  the  best  ways  and  means  of  diffusing  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  among  the  people,  and  closed  their 
meeting  with  religious  services,  at  which  they  commemorated 
the  love  of  their  common  Lord  and  Saviour  in  the  solemn 
ordinance  of  the  Supper.  It  was  a  season  of  joy  and  spirit- 
ual refreshment,  and  served  to  strengthen  the  bonds  which 
bound  them  together,  and  to  lead  them  to  a  higher  consecra- 
tion to  Him  whose  they  were  and  whom  they  came  to  Egypt 
to  serve.  Soon  after  this  Mr.  Hogg  visited  Suez.  On 
returning  he  heard  of  the  serious  illness  of  his  sister,  and 
in  consequence  left  immediately  by  the  steamship  "Araxes" 
for  home,  and  reached  in  time  to  spend  a  fortnight  at  her 
bedside  before  she  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  in  the  bright  hope  of 
a  glorious  resurrection. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  changes  and  movements  in  the 
missionary  staff  the  w  ork  itself  was  carried  out  with  vigor 
and  success.  The  boys'  school  in  Alexandria  came  under 
the  sole  management  of  Mr.  Lansing,  and  the  girls'  school 
under  the  efficient  direction  and  instruction  of  Miss  Dales. 
The  services  in  Arabic  were,  of  course,  conducted  by  Mr. 
Lansing,  but  the  English  and  Italian  were  for  the  most  part 
taken  by  Mr.  Yule  and  his  staff  of  helpers.  A  new  depar- 
ture was  taken  in  the  opening  of  a  book  depot  for  the  sale 
of  Scriptures  and  other  religious  and  useful  literature.  Many 
people  resorted   to  the  depot  to  meet  one  another,  get  the 


IN  Egypt.  109 

news  of  the  day,  and  discuss  religious  topics.  A  similar 
depot  was  opened  in  Cairo,  in  which  Mr.  Awad  Hanna,  for- 
merly teacher  in  Haret-es-Sakkain  school,  was  detailed  to 
the  duty  of  salesman,  a  position  for  which  he  proved  to  be 
highly  qualified.  These  depots  for  many  years  were  the 
centers  of  attraction  for  inquirers,  and  many  earnest  discus- 
sions of  religious  doctrines  and  practices  were  held  in  them. 
The  Arabic  services  in  both  quarters  of  Cairo  were  con- 
tinued with  an  increased  number  of  worshipers.  The  even- 
ing class  by  Mr.  McCague  was  also  kept  up  except  during 
the  time  of  his  sickness,  and  the  English  service  by  the  mis- 
sionaries as  in  former  years. 

Two  or  three  matters  of  special  importance  may  be 
noted  : 

1.  Persistent  efforts  were  made  by  the  missionaries 
during  the  early  part  of  the  year  to  collect  a  sum  of  money 
for  tlie  purchase  or  erection  of  permanent  mission  premises 
in  Cairo.  Mr.  Barnett  spent  a  large  part  of  his  time  for 
some  months  following  up  the  travelers  and  soliciting  their 
help  in  the  much-needed  project.  Friends  of  the  mission 
suggested  the  preparation  and  presentation  of  a  petition  to 
his  highness  the  viceroy,  for  the  gift  of  a  house  or  lot  to  the 
Protestants,  as  he  had  already  done  to  the  Roman  Catholics. 
A  good  deal  of  writing  and  consultation  took  place  in  regard 
to  this  matter,  with  no  definite  results  up  to  the  end  of  the 
year.  Considerable  money  was  subscribed,  however,  and 
some  collected. 

2.  Dr.  Abbat,  who  had  always  been  a  friend  of  the 
missionaries,  and  had  been  very  attentive  to  them  in  times 
of  sickness,  died  on  March  30.  For  a  time  they  were  in 
great  perplexity  in  regard  to  what  was  to  be  done  to  supply 
his  place,  and  the  missionaries  even  contemplated  making  an 
application  to  the  Board  for  a  physician  to  be  sent  out  from 
America.  This  necessity  was,  however,  obviated  by  the 
removal  of  Dr.  Paterson,  an  English  physician,  from  Alex- 
andria to  Cairo,  who  proved  to  be  a  kind  friend  and  an 
intelligent    and    successful   practitioner.     The   missionaries 


HO  The  American  Mission 

greatly  appreciated  his  professional  services  as   long  as  he 
remained  in  Cairo. 

3.  As  an  evidence  of  the  increasing  influence  of  the 
missionaries  and  the  success  attending  their  labors,  it  is 
worthy  of  note  that  the  Coptic  Patriarch  and  hierarchy 
became  very  active  in  their  opposition,  and  as  a  means  of 
preventing  intercourse  with  the  missionaries  and  their 
helpers,  and  avoiding  the  necessity  for  sending  the  children 
of  Copts  to  American  schools,  they  determined  to  open  at 
different  points  in  Cairo  twelve  Coptic  schools,  a  policy  that 
has  frequently  been  adopted   by  them,  but  without  success. 

4.  hi  September,  after  careful  consideration  and  appro- 
priate preparatory  exercises,  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  was  administered  in  the  Arabic  language  for  the  first 
time,  and  four  persons  were  received  into  the  fellowship  of 
the  Church  and  enrolled  as  members.  These  were  the  first 
fruits  of  the  mission  work.  Their  names  were  :  Father 
Makhiel  el-Belyana,  the  Coptic  monk  already  mentioned, 
Menas  Jacob,  an  Armenian,  Awad  Hanna,  and  a  Syrian,  by 
name  Nusr.  It  was  the  day  of  small  things,  but  yet  it  was 
a  day  of  joy  to  those  who  had  left  home  and  country  and 
friends  for  Christ's  sake,  and  labored  and  prayed  in  tears 
for  the  salvation  of  souls  in  this  land.  Though  they  were 
not  ignorant  of  the  deficiencies  of  these  persons,  yet  they 
gave  evidence  of  sufificient  knowledge  of  the  truth,  and 
sincerity  of  profession,  and  uprightness  of  conduct,  to  war- 
rant them  in  admitting  them  to  Christian  fellowship.  They 
hoped,  too,  that  by  coming  out  and  separating  from  their 
corrupt  Churches  and  taking  a  stand  on  the  Lord's  side,  and 
on  the  principle  that  God's  Word  is  the  only  rule  of  faith 
and  practice,  they  would  be  the  means  of  doing  much  good 
to  doubting  minds  and  faltering  hearts.  The  ties  of  family 
relationship,  the  bonds  of  early  training,  and  the  bondage  to 
customs  agreeable  to  corrupt  human  nature,  were  immense 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  a  ready  acceptance  and  profession 
of  Protestant  principles.  The  utter  abasement  of  self,  and 
the  rejection  of  any  dependence  on  work  done  by  self,  are 


IN   liGYPT.  Ill 

not  principles  easy  of  adoption  by  human  nature  ;  indeed, 
never  will  be  adopted  except  under  the  influence  of  Divine 
grace.  There  was  nothing  in  the  character  of  the  Egyptians, 
nothing  in  their  social  habits  and  training,  nothing  in  their 
inclinations  and  desires,  to  encourage  the  hope  that  the  Gos- 
,pcl  would  be  accepted  by  them  ;  nothing  but  the  promise  of 
God  that  His  Word  would  not  return  void.  In  tiiis  confidence 
those  men  of  faith  labored  on  in  a  quiet,  sincere,  and  prayer- 
ful manner,  believing  that  the  time  would  come  when  the 
Egyptians  would  give  up  their  dependence  on  self  and  its 
merits  and  accept  the  obedience,  sufferings  and  death  of 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  as  the  only  ground  of  salvation,  and  there- 
fore they  rejoiced  in  the  public  profession  of  the  four  persons 
just  mentioned  as  the  first  fruit  of  a  glorious  harvest. 

i860.  The  missionaries  on  the  field  in  i860  remained 
the  same  as  in  the  previous  year,  except  that  Mr.  John 
Hogg,  having  been  appointed  by  our  Foreign  Board  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  Egypt,  and  having  been  lincensed  by  the  United 
Presbyterian  Presbytery  of  Edinburgh  in  November,  1859, 
and  married  on  January  10,  i860,  left  Liverpool  with  his 
wife  on  the  steamship  "  Salamander,"  on  January  27,  i860, 
to  join  the  mission.  They  had  scarcely  left  Liverpool  before 
they  experienced  rough  weather,  wliich  continued  for  some 
days.  In  the  Bay  of  Biscay  the  steamer  sprang  a  leak  and 
foundered  on  January  31.  The  passengers  were  with  great 
difficulty  saved  by  getting  into  the  boats.  In  the  good  provi- 
dence of  God,  who  watches  over  His  people  by  sea  as  well 
as  by  land,  they  were  picked  up  by  the  steamship 
"  Cornelia,"*  bound  for  Rotterdam,  and  landed  at  Plymouth. 
They  lost  everything,  papers,  clothes,  books,  presents,  fur- 
niture, and  many  precious  mementos.  Friends  of  the  cause 
of  Christ  and  sympathizing  brethren  in  Christ  in  Edinburgh, 
Glasgow  and  Paisley  more  than  made  up  the  money  value 
of  what  was  lost,  and  they  started  afresh  on  their  journey 
to  Egypt,  with  zeal  nothing  abated,  on  February  28,  i860, 
via  London,  Paris,  Marseilles  and  Malta,  reaching  Alexandria 
*  See  the  United  Presbyterian  and  tlie  Christian  Instructor,  March,  i860. 


112  The  American  Mission 

on  March  19,  i860.  They  were  received  in  Alexandria  with 
special  demonstrations  of  joy  and  thanksgiving — joy  at  meet- 
ing with  a  former  friend,  instructor  and  brother  in  Christ, 
and  a  successful  worker  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord, 
recouped  for  the  same  service  and  accompanied  by  a 
cultivated  and  earnest  Christian  helpmate  ;  thanksgiving  to 
God  for  their  preservation,  first  from  death  by  drowning 
and  second  from  death  by  exposure  to  cold  and  hunger. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  year  another  addition  was  made 
to  the  mission  in  the  persons  of  Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing  and  his 
wife,  and  Miss  M.  J.  McKown.  They  sailed  from  New  York 
on  Saturday,  October  6,  in  the  steamship  "  Edinburgh,"  of 
the  Inman  line,  landed  at  Liverpool  on  Thursday,  October 
18  ;  sailed  from  Liverpool  on  October  28,  on  the  steamship 
"Danube,"  of  the  Bibby  line,  and  reached  Alexandria  in 
safety  on  Tuesday,  November  13.  Mr.  Ewing  and  his  wife 
spent  a  few  days  in  Alexandria,  and  reached  Cairo,  their 
field  of  labor,  on  November  17,  welcomed  by  brothers  Bar- 
nett  and  McCague  as  the  much-desired  and  long-looked-for 
recruits.  Mr.  Ewing  immediately  afforded  assistance  to  the 
weary  and  overtaxed  brethren  in  various  ways,  and  more 
especially  in  taking  his  share  in  the  English  department. 
Miss  McKown  remained  in  Alexandria  and  aided  Miss  Dales 
in  the  girls'  school  there. 

In  1859,  the  secretary  of  the  Foreign  Board  had  been, 
authorized  by  the  General  Assembly  to  inform  the  brethren 
in  Egypt  that  they  might,  in  conjunction  with  the  mission- 
aries in  Damascus,  form  a  presbytery  whenever  in  their 
judgment  it  seemed  necessary  or  desirable.  Much  consulta- 
tion and  some  discussion  orally  and  in  writing  had  taken 
place  among  the  missionaries  on  this  subject,  some  favoring 
the  formation  of  a  presbytery,  and  others  seeing  no  immedi- 
ate necessity  for  it.  But  as  Mr.  Hogg  came  out  without 
ordination,  and  his  ordination  appeared  to  all  not  only  desir- 
able but  almost  necessary  for  successful  work  as  a  mission- 
ary, it  was  decided  to  organize  the  presbytery.  This 
organization  took  place  in  Cairo  on  April  13.     Mr.  Barnett, 


OS 


IN  Egypt. 


113 


being  the  oldest  member,  preached  a  sermo.n  and  made  the 
opening  prayer.  He  was  then  chosen  moderator,  and  Mr. 
Hogg  clerk,  Mr.  McCague  to  act  for  Mr.  Hogg  until  after  the 
latter's  ordination.  The  presbytery  adjourned  to  meet  in 
Alexandria  on  May  22,  to  hear  Mr.  Hogg's  trials,  and  to  con- 
duct the  ordination  services.  These  plans  were  carried  out 
in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  the  General  Assembly.  The 
organization  of  a  United  Presbyterian  presbytery  in  Egypt 
and  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Hogg  as  its  first  official  act,  make 
the  year  i860  memorable  in  the  history  of  our  mission. 

If  the  personal  history  of  the  missionaries  in  Egypt  during 
i860  were  written,  it  would  contain  a  long  recital  of  sickness 
and  suffering,  borne  with  Christian  patience,  and  causing 
many  removals,  changes  and  disappointments.  Suffice  it  to 
say  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCague  were  frequently  ill,  suffering 
much  from  ophthalmia  and  other  diseases  incidental  to  the 
climate.  The  former  sought  restoration  by  taking  a  change 
to  Syria  and  to  Tunis ;  the  latter  to  Alexandria.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  L.  Muller,  then  residing  in  Cairo  in  winter  and  in  Ab- 
basiya  in  summer,  invited  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCague  to  enjoy 
their  hospitality,  if  perchance  they  might  be  benefited 
thereby,  and  did  many  acts  of  kindness  on  various  lines  to 
the  missionaries  stationed  in  Cairo. 

The  hearts  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCague  were  again  filled 
with  grief  at  the  loss  of  their  dear  Mary  Barnett,  on  May  31, 
the  second  child  whose  little  form  was  laid  in  Egyptian  soil, 
waiting  for  the  resurrection,  and  making  the  very  dust  of 
Egypt  dear  to  the  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lansing,  too,  were 
laid  aside  from  work  for  a  time  Both  suffered  intensely 
with  ophthalmia  for  many  weeks,  while  they,  too,  were  called 
upon  to  give  back  to  God  a  little  girl  whom  they  dearly 
loved.  It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  Miss  Dales 
kept  up  and  carried  on  the  work  among  the  girls  and  women. 
Mr.  Hogg  was  also  brought  to  feel  the  necessity  of  being 
more  careful  in  the  use  of  his  strength,  as  his  earnest  nature 
often  led  him  to  overtax  it.  I  find  him  at  that  time  noting  in 
his  diary  :     "  Let  me  take  warning  in  the  future  ;  more  good 


114  The  American  Mission 

will  be  done  in  the  end  by  a  constant,  persevering  and  de- 
voted effort  in  the  work  than  by  killing  ourselves  outright  at 
the  outset."  Mr.  Barnett,  too,  often  felt  his  strength  waning 
during  the  year,  and  on  the  advice  of  the  missionaries  at 
their  meeting  in  April,  he  determined  to  go  home  early  in  the 
summer,  and  in  this  sense  he  wrote  to  his  father  and  his 
mother  and  other  relatives ;  but  he  afterwards  changed  his 
mind,  in  view  of  the  demands  of  the  work,  and  on  account 
of  a  long-cherished  desire  to  malce  a  missionary  tour  on  the 
Nile  in  the  interests  of  Bible  distribution,  and  for  exploring 
the  field  and  locating  native  agents  at  important  points. 

The  mission  work  was  carried  on  during  the  year  on 
various  lines,  as  the  strength  and  health  of  the  missionaries 
permitted,  hi  Alexandria  both  the  schools  were  more  numer- 
ously attended  than  formerly,  chiefly  on  account  of  the  influx 
of  Syrians,  who  had  fled  from  the  atrocities  perpetrated  by 
the  Muslims  and  Druzes  in  their  own  land.  To  these  the 
missionaries,  and  more  especially  Mr.  Hogg  and  Miss  Dales, 
gave  much  of  their  time  in  ministering  to  their  bodil,y  wants 
and  imparting  religious  instruction.  Children  of  all  the  faiths 
represented  in  Alexandria  and  in  Syria,  and  of  several 
nationalities,  were  on  the  roll  of  the  pupils,  and  all  received 
lessons  in  the  Christian  religion  and  attended  morning 
prayers.  Very  often  complaints  were  made  by  parents, 
especially  the  Muslims  and  Jews,  about  their  children  learning- 
Christianity  ;  but  as  the  schools  were  opened  and  supported 
for  that  very  purpose,  the  missionaries  did  not  desist  from 
performing  their  duty  in  sowing  the  precious  seed  in  the 
hearts  and  minds  of  the  pupils,  whatever  might  be  the  ob- 
jections of  the  parents  and  guardians.  As  an  example  of 
what  occurred,  I  may  relate  the  following,  taken  from  Mr. 
Hogg's  diary : 

"  The  teacher  tells  me  of  an  instance  of  Muhammadan 
interference.  The  father  of  Mustafa  sent  by  his  boy  to  say 
that  he  did  not  wish  his  son  to  study  the  Bible  and  the 
Catechism.  The  teacher  said,  *  Tell  your  father  to  come  and 
see  me  on  the  subject.'    The  father  came  a  few  days  after,  and 


IN  Egypt.  jj- 


entering    he  school  quietly,  took  his  seat  for  a  little,  and 
then    in  the  presence  of  the  school,  stood  up  and  in  a  rage 
asked  the  teacher,  '  Who  authorized  you  to  change  peoplel 
rehg,on  P'      The  teacher  replied  that  it  was  not  his  busines 
0  change  the  religion  of  the  boys,  but,  by  the  grace  of  God 
he  wished  to  make  them  good,  adding  :     '  How  do  you  think 
we  could  get  along  with  so  many  boys  of  different  classes 
unless  we  were  to  teach  them  how  to  behave  ?     They  were 
all  accustomed  to  curse  and  swear,  etc.     Do  they  do  so  now  ? 
s  1   wrong  to  teach  them  to  obey  their  parents,  to  speak  the 
truth  andbeobedienttotheirteacher?'    Then,  readinathefirst 
question  and  answer  in  the  Catechism,  he  said  :     <  Is  it  wron. 
to  teach  the  boys  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  it  is  our  duty  to 
glorify  him  .P       When  he  touched  on  the  duties  of  children 
to  their  parents  the  father  smiled,  and  then  the  teacher  knew 
he  had  gained  his  point,  and  said  :     '  Tell  me,  does  not  your 
boy  make  progress  in  his  studies.?'      The  father  replied 
Yes  ;  better  progress  in  English  and  Arabic  than  other  boys 
m  school.'     '  Well,'  said  the  teacher,  '  if  he  gets  on  in  these 
can  you  not  leave  the  other  matters  ?'      '  Yes   ves  '  he  in' 
swered,^  'and  I  will  give  you  a  present,  too',  for  'all  your' 
trouble,    and  away  he  went,  as  pleased  as  possible  " 

The  effect  of  the  incident  was  good  on  the  whole  school. 
Ihe  introduction  of  singing  into  the  school   by  Mr.  Hoaa  re 
heved  the  monotony  of  study  and  enlivened  the  pupils^nd 
made  the  school  popular.     He  opened  a  class  in  vocal  music 
in  which  he  was  a  master  and  an  enthusiast,  and  some  of 
the  pupils  seemed  to  catch  the  spirit  of  their  teacher 

t^TZ^T^l"  T.?'"""  ^"'^  '°"^"'''^  ""^  ^'-  ^^'^^^'"g  during 
the  fn  St  half  of  the  year,  but  from  the  24th  of  June,  when 

Mr.  Hogg  preached  his  first  discourse  in  this  language   he 

was  occasionally   relieved  by   him,  and  in   the  absenc;  of 

!1'''m"'h"^  '"  ^'"■'  ^"  ^^'  ""^""^"'  '^'  ^^^°'^  burden  fell 
on  Mr.  Hogg.     On  May  27,  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 

bupper  was  dispensed  in  Arabic  in  Alexandria  for  the  first 

time.     Eleven  persons  sat  down  at  the  table  of  the  Lord  and 

partook  of  the  emblems  of  the  Saviour's  broken  body  and 


ii6  The  AMERICAN  Mission 

shed  blood,  viz.,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lansing,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hogg, 
Hanna  Grace,  Father  Makhiel,  Khalil  Sidawee.  Wurdy  Bar- 
akat.  Habib  Gharzoozi,  Fadl  Alia  Gharzoozi,  and  a  man  by 
name  Iskander. 

During  the  summer  months,  when  the  missionaries  were 
in  Ramleh,'"they  conducted  an  English  service  in  Mr.  Robert 
Fleming's  tent. 

Much  of  the  time  of  the  missionaries,  as  1  intimated 
above,  was  taken  up  with  the  needy  Sxrians  who  had  been 
driven  from  their  homes  b\-  the  cruel  Druzes  and  treacherous 
Muhammadans.  Many  of  them  were  in  the  greatest  want, 
having  lost  their  all,  and  in  many  cases  the  head  of  the 
family  had  been  butchered  in  cold  blood,  and  their  houses 
destroyed  and  plundered.  Among  these  was  the  Barakat 
famih-',  some  of  whom  had  been  trained  in  Mr.  Lansing's 
family  in  Damascas.  The  father  was  the  last  one  killed  in 
the  terrible  massacre.  He  had  stealthily  left  his  hiding  place 
and  gone  to  see  if  any  of  his  worldly  goods  had  been  spared 
by  the  plunderers.  Being  seen,  he  was  killed  without 
mercy.  All  the  family,  except  the  eldest,  came  to  Eg\-pt— 
Warda,  who  many  >-ears  after  went  to  Monmouth,  and  died 
there ;  Katrina,  Aneesa,  Elias  and  Mohanna.  The  last  two 
mentioned  also  went  to  America,  and  are  known  to  many 
there.  Many  other  similar  cases  calling  for  immediate  assist- 
ance were  met  with  by  the  missionaries,  who  found  it 
necessary  to  enlist  the  interest  and  solicit  the  help  of  resi- 
dents and  travelers  on  their  behalf.  Lord  Haddo,  who  was 
in  Eg>-pt  at  the  time,  and  who  was  spending  a  few  weeks  in 
a  Nile  boat  on  the  canal,  headed  the  list  with  twenty  pounds 

sterling. 

During  this  >-ear  the  hospitals  and  galleys  were  visited 
regularly  by  the  missionaries,  and  Father  Makhiel  was  untir- 
ing in  his  round  of  visitation  to  the  latter,  in  which  he  met 
with  many  cases  of  rank  injustice  and  cruel  oppression,  in- 
flicted for'the  most  part  on  Coptic  scribes  for  petty  offences  or 
religious  hate,  or  no  cause  known  whatever.  As  these  scribes 
were  generally  able  to  read,  copies  of  the  New  Testament 


IN  Egypt.  117 

were  distributed  among  them.     On  one  occasion  (a  Friday, 
the  rest-day  of  the  Muhammadans)  Mr.  Lansing  accompanied 
Father  Makhiel  to  the  galleys,  which  were  near  the  arsenal, 
near  the  harbor.     The  chained  occupants  were  employed  on 
other  days  in  dragging  long,  heavy  stones  for  building  the 
docks,  but  on  that  day  they  were  resting  their  weary  limbs 
after  six  days'  severe  toil,  reclining  in  the  grateful  shade  of  a 
large  acacia,  which  grew  and  spread  its  branches  in  the  court 
of  the  prison.     One  had  a  book,  the  New  Testament,  which 
Father  Makhiel  had  given   him,  and  the   rest   were   lying 
around  him  listening  to  the  words  of  truth.     The  men  were 
mostly  Muslims,  but  all  held  the  reader  in  great  esteem  for 
his  talents  and  character.     Mr.  Lansing  took  the  book,  read 
in  it,  explained  and  enforced  the  lesson.     Coffee,  as  usual, 
was   brought,  also  a  cigarette.     Even   the  officer   on   duty 
treated  Mr.  Lansing  with  great  respect,  and  hinted  to  him 
that  if  he  could  do  anything  to  liberate  the  man  who  was 
reading,  it  would   be  a   kind  and  deserving  act.     Various 
efforts  were  made  to  secure  his  release,  but  all  failed.     At 
last  he  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  a  general  order  to  set  free  a 
certain  class  of  offenders  at  the  time  of  the  circumcision  of  the 
viceroy's  son.     Many  had  their  days  of  prison  life  bright- 
ened by  the  visits  of  the  missionaries,  and  some  of  them  had 
their  time  in  the  galle>-s  shortened.     Much  credit  was  due  to 
Father  Makhiel  for  his  attention  to  the  poor,  suffering,  and 
oppressed.      He  seemed  to  know  of  everything  that   was 
going  on. 

In  Cairo,  the  boys'  school  at  Haret-es-Sakkain  was 
closed  for  two  reasons  :  First,  to  encourage  the  effort  being 
made  in  the  Ezbakiyah  quarter  of  Cairo  to  develop  a  school  in 
which  the  pupils  attending  should  pay  for  their  instruction, 
as  up  to  that  time  education  had  been  given  free.  Second^ 
to  afford  facilities  to  open  a  girls'  school,  an  undertaking 
upon  which  Mrs.  McCague  had  set  her  heart  for  some  time. 
This  school  was  opened  in  June,  and  was  reallv  the  begin- 
ning of  female  education  in  Cairo  in  connection  with  ^our 
mission.      By  the   month   of   August  the   number   of  girls 


ii8  The  A.merican  Mission 

attending  numLx-red  twenty-fne.  A  Coptic  woman  was 
Secured  to  assist  Mrs.  McCague,  but  the  burden  of  the  in- 
struction devolved  on  the  latter,  as  the  former  was  ignorant, 
inefficient  and  inexperienced. 

An  afternoon  service  in  Arabic  in  the  Ezbakiyah  quarter, 
in  addition  to  the  morning  one,  was  commenced  during  the 
year,  but  for  a  time  the  English  service  was  discontinued. 
The  second  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  held  in 
Arabic  on  June  lo,  at  which  time  four  new  members  were 
admitted  to  Church  fellowship.  These  were  Awad  Hanna's 
wife,  Girgis  Hanna,  Ibrahim  Yusif  and  Spiro  Toma.  The 
third  is  he  who  afterwards  studied  theology  under  Messrs. 
Lansing  and  Hogg,  served  the  Master  in  various  places  as 
licentiate,  and  at  last  became  the  first  native  pastor  of  the 
As>ut  congregation.  The  fourth  was  afterwards  elected 
deacon  at  the  organization  of  the  Cairo  congregation,  was  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Church,  attentive  to  the  duties  of 
his  office,  punctual  in  his  attendance  at  all  religious  meet- 
ings, and  a  very  successful  Sabbath  school  teacher.  He 
became  in  after  years  salesman  in  the  bookshop,  and  died 
while  serving  the  mission  and  his  Master  in  that  capacity. 

The  \-ear  i860  was  a  year  of  Bible  distribution.  Mr. 
McCague  and  Mr.  Awad  Hanna  visited  the  Delta  for  that 
purpose  and  disposed  of  $110  worth  of  books,  most  of  them 
Scriptures.  The  sales  were  for  the  most  part  at  Tanta  and 
Convent  of  St.  Damiana.  Subsequently  Father  Makhiel 
visited  Tanta  during  the  great  fair  and  sold  Scriptures  to  the 
value  of  $20.  A  Mr.  Crosby-Brown  and  a  Mr.  Butcherly, 
passing  travelers,  wishing  to  do  good  as  well  as  to  visit  the 
ruins  of  ancient  Eg\'pt,  took  with  them  to  the  upper  country 
a  supply  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  disposed  of  at  least  $  100 
worth.  Seeing  that  the  Nile  afforded  the  easiest  and  quick- 
est means  of  reaching  a  large  number  of  villages,  the  mis- 
sionaries Lansing,  Hogg  and  McCague,  purchased  from 
Messrs.  Robert  Fleming  &  Co.,  a  Nile  boat,  called  the  "  Ibis." 
In  this  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCague  went  up  the  Nile,  leaving 
Cairo  on  October  2,  and  taking  four  native  brethren.  Messrs. 


IN   EG\'PT. 


119 


Ibrahim  Yusif,  Mansoor  Shakoor,  Buktor  Fam,  and  Auad 
Hanna,  also  twelve  boxes  of  books.  They  were  absent 
only  five  weeks  and  in  that  time  they  distributed  books, 
mostly  Scriptures,  for  which  they  received  $125.  Mr. 
Ibrahim  Yusif  was  left  in  Asyut  as  teacher,  Buktor  as 
colporteur.  Mr.  Mansoor  Shakoor  was  left  in  Luxor  with 
instructions  to  open  a  school. 

On  this  trip  many  villages  were  visited,  many  conver- 
sations held  with  the  people  on  religion,  many   Scriptures 
distributed,  and  two  important  stations  occupied  in  the  upper 
country  as  centers  of  light  to  the  surrounding  localities.     In 
these  towns  Mr.  Awad  Hanna  was  very  useful  in  holding 
discussions  with  the  natives,  as  he  was  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  thoughts  and  manners  of  his  own  people,  and  very 
ready  in  setting  aside  their  specious  arguments  and  illustrat- 
ing their  absurdity  by  some  familiar  proverb  or  appropriate 
story.     No  one  connected  with  the  mission  has  done  more  to 
expose  the  rottenness  and  ruin  of  the  Coptic  Church  than  he. 
Mr.  McCague,  in  his  letters  called  "  Eg\pt  Revisited,"  says 
of  this  trip:     "There  was   much   work   done   in  several 
places   between   Cairo  and   Luxor — but   not  having  taken 
notes  at  the  time,  I  am  unable  to   recall   the  particulars  at 
this  date.     But  at  Asyut  we  filled  a  satchel  with  Scriptures 
and  put  it  on  a  donkey  and  passed  through  the  streets,  call- 
ing out,  '  The  Holy  Bible  for  sale.'    It  tried  our  moral  courage 
to  begin  this  kind  of  work,  but  we  soon  became  used  to  it. 
I  was  greatly  encouraged  in  this  hand-to-hand  work,  as  it 
brought  us  so  directly  and   constantly  in  contact  with  the 
people."     The  work  of  Bible  distribution  was  continued  by 
Mr.    Lansing  after   Mr.  McCague's  return,  but  as  his  trip 
reached  into  the  spring  of  1861,  I  will  leave  it  until  I  take 
up  the  events  of  that  year,  as  well  as  the  noble  work  of  that 
true  nobleman,  Lord  Aberdeen. 

Egypt  had  for  a  long  time  been  the  resort  for  invalids 
from  the  West  who  were  troubled  with  pulmonary  com- 
plaints. Its  mild  climate  and  dry  air  will  always  attract 
refugees  from  the  damp  and  cold  regions  of  Western  civili- 


I20  The  American  Mission 

zation.  In  the  early  days  of  the  mission,  before  Cairo  was 
occupied  permanently  by  an  English  Church  clergyman,  the 
American  missionaries  had  to  spend  a  part  of  their  time  visit- 
ing these  invalid  travelers;  ministering  to  their  varied  wants  ; 
giving  them  encouragement  and  counsel ;  sometimes  watch- 
ing with  them  until  the  spirit  took  its  flight  to  a  purer  clime. 
During  the  springtime  of  i860  the  missionaries  in  Cairo  and 
Alexandria,  but  especially  in  the  latter,  were  called  upon  to 
do  more  than  usual  of  this  Christian  work.  While  it  added 
much  to  their  labors,  it  was  of  great  spiritual  benefit  to 
them,  because  it  brought  them  into  the  midst  of  great  and 
solemn  realities,  and  thus  prepared  them  to  follow  or  accom- 
pany their  converts  to  the  "  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death." 
An  interesting  case  occurred  in  which  the  missionaries  were 
able  to  afford  aid  and  comfort  in  various  ways. 

A  Rev.  Samuel  Lyde,  who  for  a  long  time  had  been  work- 
ing in  the  service  of  the  Lord  in  Latakia,  and  had  come  to 
Cairo  to  spend  a  few  months,  was  suddenly  attacked  with 
hemorrhage  of  the  lungs,  by  which  he  was  in  a  brief  time 
brought  near  to  death,  but  rallied  for  a  little.  Mr,  Barnett 
visited  him  frequently  while  in  Cairo,  and  ministered  to  his 
bodily  and  spiritual  wants.  Fearing  lest  he  might  not  re- 
cover, and  wishing  to  convey  a  last  loving  message  to  his 
relatives  at  home,. he  dictated  to  Mr.  Barnett  the  following 
letter:  "  Dearest  and  best  of  mothers,  adieu  !  I  am  sure 
your  salvation  is  safe  in  Christ's  hands.  Dearest  and  most 
loving  of  brothers,  live  wholly  to  God,  and  let  not  the  cares 
of  this  world  hinder  your  salvation.  Very  kind  sister,  God 
bless  you  for  all  your  kindness.  Dearest  Kate  and  Malcolm, 
give  your  young  hearts  to  God.  These  are  the  last  words 
of  a  dying  uncle,  most  dear  nephew,  do  live  to  God."  On 
another  occasion  he  said,  "  Tell  my  brother  to  give  the  house 
and  premises  to  the  missionaries  at  Latakia,  also  sixty  pounds 
a  year  as  long  as  they  use  it  properly."  He  recovered 
slightly  and  went  to  Alexandria  for  a  change.  He  was  fre- 
quently visited  there  by  Mr.  Lansing,  who  was  of  great  help 
to  him  during  a  brief  time  of  spiritual  darkness,  aiding  him 


Xatiw-   Woman   on    1  loiikcN 


IN   hGYPT.  121 

in  coming  to  tiie  light,  and  in  meeting  death   rejoicing  in 
Jesus  in  the  full  assurance  of  faith. 

Though  the  missionaries  were  sent  out  to  Egypt  for  the 
Egyptians,  yet  they  have  been  of  great  benefit  to  many 
American  and  other  English-speaking  people.  An  interesting 
case  of  conversion  was  reported  to  me.  It  was  of  a  young 
English  woman  who,  after  having  been  brought  up  under 
religious  influences  in  England,  had  gone  to  India  and  become 
careless,  thoughtless  and  giddy,  throwing  off  most  of  the  re- 
straints of  her  early  training.  She,  on  her  return  from  hidia, 
spent  a  few  days  in  Cairo,  as  Indian  passengers  were  then 
accustomed  to  do,  was  led  on  Sabbath  day  to  attend  divine 
service  at  the  American  Mission,  where  she  heard  a  sermon 
by  Mr.  Barnett,  which  aroused  her  to  a  sense  of  her  state 
and  danger,  and  was  blessed  by  the  Spirit  to  her  conversion. 
How  many  others  have  been  helped  in  their  Christian  life  or 
led  to  the  Saviour  through  these  English  services,  conducted 
by  the  missionaries  for  all  these  years,  only  can  be  known 
on  that  great  day  when  all  shall  stand  before  the  Lamb,  and 
all  secrets  shall  be  revealed. 


122  The  AMERICAN  Mission 


CHAPTER  VII. 

1861 — Distribution  of  missionaries — Visitation  of  hospital  and  galleys  in 
Alexandria — School  work  and  preaching — New  school  for  girls  in  Cairo — Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McCagiie  leave  for  America — Also  Mr.  Barnett  six  months  later- 
Reducing  the  forces  in  Cairo — Transfer  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lansing  and  .Miss 
Dales  to  Cairo  in  the  autumn — Trip  of  Mr.  Lansing  on  the  Nile — Lord  Aber- 
deen and  Bible  distribution — Faris-ei-Hakim  in  Asyut — His  cruel  treatment 
by  the  Muslims — Their  prompt  punishment — Influence  on  mission  work — 
Arrival  of  the  writer  in  Alexandria. 

At  the  beginning  of  1861  the  missionary  force  consisted 
of  Rev.  J.  Barnett,  Rev.  Tiiomas  McCague  and  wife,  the 
Rev.  Gulian  Lansing  and  wife,  the  Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing  and 
wife,  Miss  S.  B.  Dales,  and  Miss  M.  J.  McKuwn.  Miss  Dales 
was  ill  nearly  al  summer,  took  a  trip  up  the  Nile  in  the 
autumn  for  her  hcaltii,  and  before  the  end  of  the  year  was 
transferred  to  Cairo.  Miss  McKown  was  not  yet  able  to  use 
the  language,  and  therefore  her  labors  were  restricted  to 
teaching  some  classes  in  the  English  language  and  superin- 
tending the  needle  work.  Practically,  Mr.  Hogg  was  the  only 
person  in  Ale.xandria  who  was  prepared  to  do  efficient  service 
in  the  strictly  missionary  sense.  Even  the  native  help 
which  he  had  in  the  schools  was  very  unsatisfactory.  The 
chief  master  in  the  boys'  school  left  the  service  and  changed 
his  profession.  Another  had  to  be  dismissed,  hi  the  girls' 
school  the  Italian  teacher  left  for  Italy  at  the  very  time  he 
could  least  be  spared.  No  qualified  persons  could  be  found 
to  fill  the  vacancies.  In  the  absence  of  Miss  Dales,  Miss 
McKown  took  the  direction  of  the  girls'  school,  while  Mr. 
Hogg  conducted  the  opening  exercises  and  gave  the  Bible 
lesson  to  both  schools.  During  Mr.  Lansing's  absence  in 
the  upper  country  and  at  Cairo,  Mr.  Hogg  had  to  conduct 
both  Arabic  services  on  Sabbath  and  a  prayer-meeting  during 
the  week.     He  was,  moreover,  the  chief  mover  in  establish- 


IN  Egypt.  123 

ing  an  Englisli  prayer-meeting  for  Anglo-Saxon  residents, 
which  was  held  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Rankin  every  week,  and 
was  continued  many  years,  becoming  a  means  of  spiritual 
refreshment  and  growth  to  both  missionaries  and  people. 

It  appears  from  Mr.  Hogg's  papers  that  many  conver- 
sations were  held  with  the  natives  and  the  Italians  in  their 
homes,  their  shops,  and  especially  in  the  Bible  depot.     The 
galleys  and  the  hospitals  were  also  visited.     These  conver- 
sations were   with  Muslims  and  Christians  of  the  various 
sects,  such  as  the  Catholics,  the  Greeks  and  the  Copts,  and 
often  developed  into  warm  discussions  rather  taxing  to  Mr. 
Hogg's  nervous  temperament.      Among  the  questions  which 
formed  the  subject  of  conversation  was  the  obligation  to  keep 
the  Sabbath  day  holy  unto  the  Lord.     On  one  occasion  Mr. 
Hogg  says  :  "  A  Copt  asked  me,  *  What  should  a  Christian 
do  who  is  obliged  to  labor  on  Sabbath  in  order  to  obtain 
daily  bread  and  cannot  find  a  situation  ?    Should  he  abandon 
his  present  one  .?'     The   question    came   from    an    uneasy 
conscience.      I   answered,    '  It  is   his  duty  to  seek  differ- 
ent employment,  and  ask  God's  help  to  find  it,  and  even 
that  was  not  sufficient ;  but  if  he  had  strong  faith  in  the 
promises  of  God,  he  should,  first  of  all,  leave  his  present 
position,  trusting  in  God  to  help  him  find  another.'     I  ex- 
plained  my   meaning   by   referring  to  the   crossing  of  the 
Jordan.     The  command  was,  *  Speak  unto  the  chitdren  of 
Israel  that  they  go  forward,'  while  the  waters  overflowing  its 
banks  rolled  on  before  them  in  mighty  force,  and  it  was  only 
when  the  priests  bearing  the  ark  entered  the  river  that  the 
waters    were    stayed.      I    also   enforced    my   remarks   b\' 
describing  the  disruption  in  Scotland,  when  the  ministers  left 
their  churches  and  their   stipends,  not  knowing  how  they 
would  be  supported  in  future.     When  I  left  the  depot  the 
questioner  grasped  me  firmly  by  the  hand." 

During  the  year  three  persons  professed  their  depend 
ence  on  Divine  grace  for  their  salvation,  their  sincere  love  to 
the  Saviour,  and  their  names  were  added  to  the  roll  of  the 
members  in  the  visible  Church.    The  proceeds  from  the  sale 
of  books  in  Alexandria  were  $640. 


124  The  American  Mission 

In  Cairo  the  work  continued  on  the  same  lines  as  last 
year.  The  attendance  at  the  services  in  Arabic  increased 
to  an  average  of  thirty-five  adults,  besides  a  few  boys  and 
girls.  Five  new  members  were  added  to  the  roll  of  the 
native  church.  A  Sabbath  school  for  girls  was  opened,  at 
which  most  of  the  pupils  at  the  day  school  attended.  The 
pay  system  introduced  into  the  boys*  school  during  the  past 
year  had  to  be  given  up,  on  account  of  the  opening  of  other 
free  schools  in  the  city.  A  second  school  for  girls  was 
■opened  in  October  in  the  Ezbakiyah  quarter,  and  as  Mrs. 
Leider's  school  for  girls  was  closed  about  that  time,  three  of 
her  teachers  were  engaged,  who  also  brought  with  them 
many  of  their  former  pupils,  so  that  our  girls'  school  in  the 
Ezbakiyah  w^as  the  successor  of  Mrs.  Leider's.  Miss  Hart, 
previously  in  the  employ  of  the  mission  to  the  Jews,  and 
herself  a  converted  Jewess  from  England,  having  joined  our 
mission  early  in  the  year,  spent  one-half  of  every  day  in 
the  girls'  school  in  Haret-es-Sakkain,  and  one-half  in  the 
one  in  Ezbakiyah  for  a  time.  Miss  Dales,  on  her  transfer  to 
Cairo  late  in  the  autumn,  also  labored  in  the  Ezbakiyah  school, 
and  later  on  took  entire  charge  of  it.  Before  the  end  of  the 
year  there  were  over  a  hundred  names  on  the  roll,  and  the 
school  became  a  power  for  good  in  that  part  of  the  city. 
The  sales  from  books  from  the  shop  in  Cairo  during  1861 
amounted  to  $880. 

On  account  of  protracted  illness,  which  threatened  to 
make  them  unfit  for  mission  work  in  the  future,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McCague  and  family  were  compelled  to  return  to  Amer- 
ica, and  on  the  14th  of  March  they  left  Cairo  in  the  expec- 
tation of  returning  to  resume  the  work  in  which  they  took  a 
deep  interest ;  but  the  Lord  had  ordered  otherwise,  for  their 
severe  illness  of  varied  kinds  had  permanently  injured  the 
health  of  some  of  their  number  so  they  were  never  able  to 
rejoin  the  mission  forces.  Mr.  McCague,  however,  made  a 
visit  to  Egypt  after  an  absence  of  about  twenty-six  years. 

Six  months  after  Mr.  McCague  left  for  America,  Mr. 
Barnett  followed  him.     He  had  for  many  years  contemplated 


IN  Egypt.  125 

taking  a  respite  in  iiis  native  land,  but  had  been  delayed  by 
one  cause  and  another,  but  chiefly  on  account  of  the  weai<- 
ness  of  the  force  on  the  field.  He  had  been  seventeen  years 
in  the  East  without  a  home  presided  over  by  a  sympathizing 
consort.  He  made  no  secret  of  the  fact  that  he  had  two 
objects  in  view  in  going  to  America,  to  gain  bodily  strength, 
and  to  find  a  helpmate. 

The  departure  of  these  two  missionaries  left,  for  a  time, 
Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing  and  his  wife  and  Miss  Hart  in  charge  of 
the  various  departments  of  mission  work  in  Cairo,  though 
they  had  been  less  than  a  year  on  the  field.  In  the  autumn, 
they  were  reinforced  by  Mr.  Lansing  and  wife  and  Miss 
Dales,  from  Alexandria. 

The  missionaries  did  not  restrict  their  labors  to  the  two 
cities  mentioned,  but,   understanding  the   meaning  of  their 
Lord's  commission,  they  contemplated  the  occupation  of  the 
Nile  valley,  and  the  conversion  of  the  Egyptian  people  to 
Christ.     As  a  means  for  the  accomplishment  of  this   end, 
they  had  planned  the  continuance  of  the  evangelistic  work 
on  the  Nile  begun  during  the  previous  year,  and  Mr.  Lansing 
to  this  end  left  in  the  "  Ibis  "  towards  the  close  of  i860  with 
a  large  supply  of  Scriptures  and  other  useful  books,  and  on 
reaching   Luxor,  made   that  ancient  town  his  headquarters 
until  March  6,  and  spent  his  time  sowing  the  seed  of  the 
Word  there  and  in  the  neighboring  towns  and  villages,  both 
by  the  sale  of  religious  literature  and  by  friendly  c^onversa- 
tions  with  the  people.     In  company   with  Lord  Aberdeen, 
he  made  a  trip  to  Esna,  where  they  pitched  a  tent  and  for 
ten  days  met  with  many  of  the  people,  speaking  to  them  of 
the  salvation  offered  to  all  through  faith  in  a  crucified  Saviour 
and  selling  a  large  number   of  Testaments.     Returning  to 
Luxor,  Mr.  Lansing  and  family  left  for  the  north  on  March  6, 
1861,  in  company  with  his  lordship.     A  government  steamer 
met  them  next  day,  sent  up  by  the  viceroy  to  tow  down 
Lord    Aberdeen's   dahabia,*    in  which  a  cabin  was  kindly 
given  to  Mr.  Lansing  and  his  family  by  this  Christian  noble- 
*  Nile  boat  with  sails. 


126  The  American  Mission 

man,  and  every  facility  was  offered  for  selling  Scriptures  on 
the  way  down  the  river. 

Mr.  Lansing  says,  in  one  of  his  letters,  written  at  this  time  : 
•♦  Of  this  interesting  trip  we  cannot  even  attempt  a  sketch. 
We  can  only  say  that  there  were  sold,  during  the  winter, 
books  to  the  value  of  $625,  and  seventy  villages  betwen 
Luxor  and  Cairo  were  visited.  As  to  the  manner  of  doing 
the  work,  it  was  our  custom  to  stop  every  few  miles,  and  at 
places  where  the  Coptic  villages  in  the  neighborhood  would 
be  most  accessible,  and  then  1  would  visit  those  at  a  distance 
from  the  bank  of  the  river,  those  nearer  being  visited  by 
Father  Makhiel  or  Mr.  Mansoor  Shakoor,  accompanied  by 
one  or  two  boatmen.  We  have  great  joy  in  mentioning  that 
at  several  places  we  met  individuals  who  had  long  been  dili- 
gent students  of  the  Word,  and  who  gave  good  evidence  of 
living  piety."  Lord  Aberdeen  had  on  his  own  account  taken 
from  the  depot  a  large  supply  of  Scriptures  for  distribution 
on  his  trip  up  the  Nile.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  their  dis- 
tribution, and,  until  the  day  of  his  death.  Father  Makhiel,  who 
accompanied  the  noble  lord  to  the  villages  with  a  supply  of 
books  in  the  saddlebags,  was  accustomed  to  expatiate  on  the 
untiring  zeal  and  humble  character  of  that  nobleman.  Dr. 
Lansing  well  said,  in  a  letter  written  some  time  after :  "  The 
memory  of  Lord  and  Lady  Aberdeen  will  long  be  fragrant 
to  the  mission  in  Egypt  for  the  noble  part  which  they  took 
in  the  great  work  of  Bible  distribution  in  the  Nile  valley,  and 
the  liberality  and  self-sacrifice  which  they  displayed  while 
personally  engaged  in  its  prosecution,  might  well  stimulate 
other  Christians  to  go  and  do  likewise.  I  have  seen  people 
at  home  in  our  democratic  America  who  scout  at  aristocrac\', 
and  think  thattitled  people  must  necessarily  be  proud, and  that, 
even  though  good  Christian  people  in  their  way  it  may  be, 
are  yet  above  distributing  tracts  or  other  such  humble  metliods 
of  serving  Christ,  and  must  do  what  they  do  in  a  certain 
conventional  style,  with  so  much  eclat  and  circumstance  as 
to  destroy  the  effect  of  Christian  effort.  Would  that  such 
persons  could  have  seen  this  Earl  of  Aberdeen,  though  too 


IN  Egypt.  127 

weak  to  walk,  riding  through  a  dirty  Arab  village  and  selling 
Testaments  to  the  astonished  natives  who  crowded  around 
him  and  his  good  lady  day  after  day  ;  keeping  our  book  ac- 
count; filling  our  colportage  bags  ;  selling  our  penny  tracts; 
and  administering  to  the  ailments  and  bodily  wants  of  the 
little,  dirty,  sore-eyed  Arab  boys  and  girls  who  crowded  the 
banks  to  which  the  boats  were  tied.  Such,  be  they  titled  or 
not,  are  heaven's  aristocracy." 

Before  leaving  Luxor,  Mr.  Lansing  thought  it  expedient 
to  close  the  school  which  had  been  opened  the  previous 
autumn.  This  was  done  because  the  bishop,  u'ho  at  first 
favored  the  school,  had,  after  seeing  what  influence  the  truth 
would  have  on  his  people,  used  his  power  to  break  it  up ; 
also  because  the  teacher's  health  was  in  a  precarious  condi- 
tion, and  because  his  services  were  needed  elsewhere  with 
more  promising  prospects.  When  Mr.  Lansing  reached 
Asyut,  he  found  that  Faris-el-Hakim,  an  enlightened  Syrian 
priest  who  had  been  sent  there  by  the  missionaries  to  open 
a  school,  had  not  been  able  to  do  so  on  account  of  the  oppo- 
sition of  the  clergy,  and  was  spending  his  time  in  holding 
discussions  with  the  people  and  in  selling  books  from  a  small 
depot  which  he  had  opened.  The  fact  that  he  was  a  Syrian 
and  had  broken  his  monastic  vows,  made  him  a  persona  non 
grata  with  the  Copts,  though  he  was  a  man  of  some  talent 
and  rather  more  scholarly  in  his  own  tongue  than  most 
monks.  About  the  end  of  July,  Paris  undertook,  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  Copts,  to  defend  a  woman  who  had  embraced 
Islam  and  then  wished  to  return  to  the  faith  of  her  fathers. 
The  defection  of  a  Muhammadan  from  that  faith  is,  in  Islamic 
law,  punishable  with  death,  and  those  who  aid  in  leading  a 
Muslim  astray  are  also  liable  to  punishment.  But  the  spirit 
of  religious  liberty  had  commenced  to  spread  about  the  time 
the  follov\-ing  incident  happened ;  at  least  it  was  then  thought 
that  perhaps  the  proclamation  of  religious  toleration  which 
had  been  wrested  from  the  Sultan  might  cover  the  case  ;  but 
the  sequel  will  show  that  the  Muslims  in  Asvut  did  not  so 
interpret  the  proclamation,  and  were  determined  that  Chris- 


128  The  AMERICAN  MISSION 

tians  should  not  be  allowed  to  so  interpret  it.     The  facts  of 
the  case  are  as  follows  : 

Paris  had  frequently  been  visited  by  some  of  the  prom- 
inent Muslims  in  Asyut,  who  questioned  him  as  to  who  sent 
him,  what  was  their  object  in  sending  him,  and  how  he  was 
able  to  sell  his  books  at  so  low  a  price.  He  replied  that 
people  in  the  West,  knowing  what  ignorance  prevailed  among 
many  of  the  Eastern  peoples,  had  freely  contributed  of  their 
money,  and  printed  these  books  and  offered  them  for  sale  at 
a  price  much  below  the  cost,  because  the  people  were  not 
able  to  pay  more. 

As  Paris  was  a  master  in  the  use  of  the  Arabic  lan- 
guage, a  qualification  then  restricted  in  Egypt  to  Muslims, 
and  withal  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  some  of  the 
Muslims  seem  to  have  suspected  that  he  was  really  a  Muslim 
at  heart,  but  entered  the  service  of  the  Christians  simply  as 
a  means  of  livelihood ;  so  they  were  rather  disposed  to 
be  friendly  with  him  at  first.  One  day,  in  the  absence  of 
the  Coptic  bishop,  a  woman,  who  was  by  birth  a  Copt,  but 
had  embraced  Islam  for  worldly  gain,  went  to  the  bishop's 
house  in  order  to  tell  him  that  she  wished  to  return  to  her 
former  religion.  The  bishop's  agent  brought  her  to  Paris, 
because  he  himself  did  not  know  what  to  do,  and  because  he 
was  afraid  to  take  the  woman  into  the  house,  knowing  that 
the  return  of  the  woman  to  Christianity  made  her  liable  to 
be  punished  with  death,  while  severe  punishment  might 
also  be  inflicted  on  any  Christian  implicated  in  helping  her. 
Paris,  having  a  knowledge  of  the  Sultan's  recent  decree 
giving  religious  liberty  to  his  subjects,  and  having  some 
knowledge  of  legal  procedure,  offered  to  become  the  woman's 
attorney  if  she  so  desired.  So  a  paper  was  prepared  to 
which  she  attached  her  name,  and  it  was  attested  by  wit- 
nesses. By  this  document  she  committed  her  case  into 
Paris'  hands,  and  gave  over  the  care  of  her  person  to  the 
bishop  until  such  time  as  the  court  might  summon  her,  for  it 
v\as  expected  that  her  Muslim  husband  would  soon  present  a 
complaint  on  account  of  her  defection,  and  demand  her  res- 


Camel   Driver. 


IN  EGYPT.  129 

toration  to  him,  or  her  punishment.  The  case,  however, 
did  not  come  up  for  some  months,  as  the  Muslims  were  not 
sure  of  being  able  to  carry  it  through  to  a  successful  issue. 
But  on  the  death  of  the  Sultan,  Abd-el-Majid,  in  whose  reign 
the  proclamation  of  religious  tolerance  had  been  promul- 
gated, and  the  accession  of  his  successor,  who  it  was 
supposed  would  not  be  bound  by  the  decree  of  his  predeces- 
sor, the  Muslims  of  Asyut  advised  the  man  to  bring  up  the 
case,  especially  as  by  this  time  they  had  changed  their  mind 
about  Paris,  and  wished  to  have  him  silenced  or  removed 
from  the  place. 

Accordingly,  the  Muslim  husband  presented  a  petition  to 
the  governor  of  the  province  of  Asyut,  complaining  of  the 
detention  of  his  wife  in  the  bishop's  house  at  the  instance  of 
Paris,  and  that  she  had  been  enticed  by  him  to  return  to  the 
infidel  Christian  sect.  On  the  receipt  of  the  petition  by  the 
governor,  he  wrote  to  the  chief  of  the  police  to  summon 
Paris  to  appear  before  him,  and  to  demand  him  to  deliver  up 
the  woman  to  the  government  for  the  purpose  of  adjudging 
the  case.  When  Paris  received  the  summons  he  immed- 
iately obeyed,  and  appeared  with  the  woman,  and  was  sent 
to  the  police  court.  What  happened  there  I  now  give  in  a 
translation  by  Mr.  Hogg,  of  Paris'  own  words  : 

"  On  entering  I  found  about  sixty  men  present,  among 
them  a  number  of  learned  men,  with  the  kadi  and  the 
mufti.  I  seated  myself  on  the  lower  end  of  the  divan  (the 
lowest  place),  upon  which  the  kadi's  scribe  approached  me 
and  said,  'Sit  upon  the  ground.'  Prom  this  remark,  and 
from  it  being  so  different  from  their  ordinary  treatment  of 
me,  and  especially  from  the  irrelevant  questions  put  to  me, 
1  suspected  their  evil  purpose,  and  therefore  answered  them 
to  the  best  of  my  ability  in  the  most  civil  and  respectful 
manner.  Pinding  they  had  not  accomplished  their  object  of 
exciting  me  to  say  something  rash  or  improper,  they  stir- 
red up  the  ignorant  crowd  to  revile  me  and  curse  my  religion. 
On  this  I  attempted  to  leave  the  court,  which,  when  they  per- 
ceived, they  prevented  me  from  doing,  and  the  kadi  said, 
'  Why  have  you  come  here.''  '  1  replied,  '  If  your  honor  will 
have  the  goodness  to  read  the  petition  and  the  order  of  his 
excellency  the  governor,  thereto  annexed,  you  will  under- 


130  The  American  Mission 

stand  the  reason  for  my  appearing  before  you.*  The  scribe 
then  read  the  petition  and  the  order,  and  said,  '  Why  do  you 
detain  the  woman  with  you?'  I  remained  silent,  whereupon 
the  kadi  said,  *  Why  do  you  not  answer  the  scribe?'  I 
replied,  *  May  it  please  your  honor,  I  am  the  attorney  of  the 
woman,  not  her  detainer,  and  therefore  I  abstained  from 
answering,  since  the  petition  which  is  in  the  hands  of  your 
honor  orders  the  appearance  of  her  attorney,  not  her  keeper.' 
The  kadi  then  replied,  *  We  do  not  acknowledge  your  right 
of  attorney.*  On  this  I  thanked  him  for  relieving  me  of  my 
obligation.  He  then  said,  *  It  is  not  for  this  that  we  reject 
your  right  of  attorney,  but  because  you  are  an  infidel,  and 
have  occasioned  infidelity  in  our  town.*  I  then  said  to  him, 
with  all  respect,  *  I  should  think  your  honor  cannot  believe 
that  a  person  like  me  is  able  to  originate  either  infidelity  or 
faith,  seeing  this  prerogative  belongs  to  God  alone.'  There- 
upon the  mufti  said,  '  O  thou  accursed  one,  thou  infide!, 
thou  son  of  pig,  thou  polluted  one  !  dost  thou  revile  the  religion 
of  the  kadi?'  He  then  stirred  up  some  of  the  ignorant  crowd, 
who  had  increased  to  about  two  hundred,  to  beat  me  ;  where- 
upon the  brother-in-law  of  the  kadi  came  forward,  spat  in  my 
face,  and  struck  me  on  the  head.  The  kadi  then  called  out, 
'  Beat  him  ;'  and  upon  that  a  man  called  Ayub  l^ashif  came 
forward  and  said,  *  O  thou  accursed  infidel ;  dost  thou  think 
that  Abd-el-Majid*  still  lives?  He  is  dead,  and  with  him  has 
died  the  Christian  religion,  and  also  the  reproach  of  Islam, 
and  in  his  place  has  arisen  Abd-el-Aziz,  who  has  brought 
back  to  the  religion  of  Islam  its  ancient  glory.*  So  saying 
he  struck  me  with  his  cane  on  my  head,  and  spat  in  my 
face,  and  knocked  me  in  the  stomach.  At  this  the  crowd 
rushed  upon  me  and  commenced  beating  me  one  after  the 
other  with  sticks,  spitting  upon  me,  and  throwing  earth  on 
my  head.  As,  however,  I  did  not  shed  any  tears  nor  utter 
any  cry  of  pain,  they  imagined  that  this  kind  of  beating  did 
not  affect  me  much.  So  the  kadi  then  ordered  the  instru- 
ments of  torture  to  be  brought  from  the  police  office,  and 
then  said,  '  Throw  him  down.  Put  on  him  the  falagah,' a 
species  of  foot-rack  for  raising  and  holding  the  feet  tight  for 
the  bastinado.  He  then  arose  and  commenced  beating  me 
on  the  thighs.  Ayub  Kashif,  already  mentioned,  came  for- 
ward also  and  beat  me,  then  the  mufti,  and  his  scribe,  and 
then  the  learned  men  in  turn.  They  then  sat  down  and 
said,    *  Let  every   one   who   loves  the    Prophet  beat  this 

*  The  former  Sultan. 


IN  Egypt.  i^j 

accursed  one  !'  This  continued  for  about  half  an  hour,  when 
the  crowd  began  to  desist  a  little,  on  seeing  that  I  was  in  a 
fainting  condition.  Then  one  of  them  kicked  me  on  the 
head  to  arouse  me.  Ayub  Kashif  came  forward  a^ain  and 
commenced  beating  me  on  my  bare  feet,  saying'to  those 
who  held  the  falagah,  '  Screw  it  tight.'  The  kadi  also  came 
forward  again,  together  with  those  aforementioned,  and  took 
their  turn  in  beating  me,  saying  to  the  crowd,  '  Why  have 
you  quit  beating  him?'  One  replied,  '  We  fear  he  will  die  ' 
Whereupon  the  kadi  and  Ayub  Kashif  called  out,  *  Kill  him"' 
Let  him  die  and  there  will  be  no  blame  on  any  of  you,  and 
if  any  investigation  be  made  concerning  this  dog,  we  will  be 
responsible  for  the  affair.'  This  encouraged  them  to  come 
forward  and  continue  the  beating. 

This  second  bastinadoing  lasted  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  when  I  swooned  away,  and  they  began  to  think  1  was 
dead.     On  reviving  I  said  to  Ayub  Kashif,  *  For  God's  sake 
have  pity  on   me.'      He   replied,    'Become  a   Muslim,   O 
accursed  one!    and  thou  shalt  be  delivered.'     I  then  cried 
*Oi  Jesus,  save  me.'     Upon  this  he  exclaimed,    'Kill   him' 
and   let  Jesus  come  and  save  him.'     At  this  juncture  the 
kadi  got  up,  went  out  and  mounted  his  horse,  ordering  me 
to  be  brought  along  with  him.     They  caught  me  and  draoaed 
me  along  on  the  ground,  a  pitiable  spectacle,  and  pulled^  me 
along,  all  the  time  the  crowd  beating  me  and  spittina  at  me 
and  on  me,  and  throwing  dust  upon  me,  screamin(T°all  the 
time  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  '  There  is  no  God  but  God 
and  no  religion  but  Islam,'  until  we  reached  the  palace  of 
the  governor.     There  we  met  the  chief  of  city  police   and 
when  he  saw  me  in  such  a  pitiable  state,  together  with  the 
instruments  of  torture,  he  ordered  me  to  be  released,  and 
immediately  left.     The  governor  not  being  at  home    thev 
remanded  me  to  the  police  court,  and  I  feared  even  'worse 
treatment  on  going  back  than  when  coming.     On  enterina 
there  I  found  Sheikh  el  Casi,  and  with  him  all  the  learned 
men      As  1  was  on  the  point  of  sitting  down,  before  1  had 
touched  the  ground  he  raised  his  cane  and  called  out  with  a 
loud  voice,  '  Beat  him,  kill  him,  burn  him  ! '     Thus    after  I 
thought  my  life  was  to  be  spared,  I  again  lost  all  hope,  and 
appealed  to  one  of  them,  saying,  '  Pity  me,  for  God's  sake, 
and  give  me  a  drink  of  water.'     He  replied.   '  Turn  Muslim 
O  accursed  one !  and  you  shall  be  freed  from  all  your  tor- 
ments. -^ 

"At  this  juncture  several  Christians  came  in  to  ascer- 
tain what  was  the  cause  of  the  Muhammadans  crowding 


132        •  The  American  Mission 

together  in  the  streets  adjoining  the  police  offices.  They 
were  immediately  driven  out  with  the  remark,  *  If  you  wish 
to  know  what  has  happened,  it  is  that  Paris,  your  champion, 
has  been  beaten  almost  to  death,  and  when  we  have  done 
with  him  we  shall  finish  up  with  you,  O  ye  infidels,  ye  ac- 
cursed ones !  '  The  crowd  then  recommenced  to  beat  me, 
by  order  of  the  kadi.  Then  he  took  me  out  to  the  street, 
while  the  crowd  shouted  and  yelled  more  than  when  I  was 
taken  to  the  governor's  house,  until  I  was  brought  to  the 
door  of  the  prison,  into  which  they  thrust  me,  putting  me 
into  the  criminal  cell,  binding  my  feet  and  hands  with  chains. 
This  was  about  the  fourth  hour  of  the  day  (ii  a.  m.),  July 
25,  1861.  About  an  hour  after  this,  Mr.  Wasif-el-Khayat, 
the  United  States  consular  agent,  sent  off  a  telegraphic  dis- 
patch informing  the  United  States  consul  in  Cairo  of  my 
having  been  beaten  and  imprisoned.  Next  day  a  reply  came 
that  the  consul  had  been  removed  from  office.  Mr.  Wasif- 
el-Khayat  also  sent  full  particulars  in  a  letter  to  the  mission- 
aries. 

"  About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  I  fell  apparently 
into  a  dying  state,  and  as  the  governor  and  the  chief  doctor 
were  absent,  the  head  of  the  police  sent  a  note  to  the  kadi, 
in  which  he  said  :  '  In  reference  to  the  man  Paris,  whom 
you  have  bastinadoed  and  sent  to  be  imprisoned,  we  have 
imprisoned  him  according  to  your  command,  and  he  is  now 
dying.  What,  therefore,  is  your  decision,  and  what  shall  I 
further  do  in  the  case  ? '  To  this  the  answer  came,  '  Send 
him  to  his  house.'  Being  in  a  helpless  state,  almost  uncon- 
scious, they  carried  me  on  a  wooden  litter.  After  resting 
some  time  in  the  house,  and  by  the  use  of  various  restor- 
atives given  to  me  by  kind  friends,  I  recovered  somewhat. 
The  officials  then  dem.anded  bail,  and  because  I  could  not 
afford  any,  they  took  me  back  to  prison,  carrying  me  on  their 
arms.  In  the  meantime  a  letter  was  written  by  some  of  my 
friends  to  his  excellency  the  governor,  informing  him  of 
what  had  occurred,  and  expressing  their  strong  fears  for  their 
own  safety,  as  there  might  take  place  in  Asyut  a  repetition 
of  the  massacres  at  Jedda  and  Damascus  in  the  present  ex- 
cited state  of  the  Muslims.  His  excellency  immediately 
ordered  Muhammad  Effendi  to  have  me  set  at  liberty,  and 
also  sent  his  physician  to  attend  to  my  wounds.  He  reached 
me  at  2  a.  m.,  July  24,  1861,  and  brought  a  kind  message 
from  the  governor,  removed  me  from  prison,  and  took  me  to 
my  house.  The  governor  arrived  in  town  in  the  morning, 
and  summoned  into  his  presence  the  kadi,  the  mufti  and 


IN  EGYPT.  133 

Other  learned  men,  Ayub  Kashif,  and  a  number  of  Europeans. 
He  reproved  the  kadi,  reviled  Ayub  Kashif  severely,  and 
also  strongly  blamed  the  rest  of  the  Muslims  who  were  pres- 
ent, on  account  of  their  cruel  and  seditious  proceedings.  He 
also  sent  out  a  crier  to  proclaim  in  the  town  that  no  further 
outrages  be  committed,  and  that  whosoever  should  transgress 
this  order  would  be  sent  to  the  galleys.  He  also  sent  the 
physician,  who  examined  my  whole  body  carefully  and  re- 
ported on  the  case.  In  that  report  he  says:  'Concerning 
Paris,  I  found  him  with  his  thighs  swollen  and  blue,  as  well 
as  his  back,  while  his  feet  have  on  them  wounds,  and  on  one 
of  them  a  deep  gash,  caused  by  the  bastinado.'  " 

In  answering  an  order  for  an  official  statement  of  the 
case,  the  kadi  attributed  to  Paris  language  which  he  did  not 
use,  and  misrepresented  the  origin  of  the  trouble  and  the 
cause  of  the  beating  inflicted,  to  which  the  governor  replied, 
practically  substantiating  all  that  Paris  had  written,  and 
showing  wherein  the  kadi  had  exceeded  the  limits  of  his 
authority,  since  it  was  only  in  his  province  to  give  his  opin- 
ion as  to  the  religious  law  pertaining  to  the  case,  as  a  guide 
to  the  governor  in  deciding  the  questions  at  issue. 

The  case  being  reported  by  the  missionaries  to  Hon.  W. 
S.  Thayer,  agent  and  consul-general  of  the  U.  S.  A.,  he  im- 
mediately took  it  up  with  all  the  energy  and  tact  of  which  he 
was  master,  first  with  the  minister  of  foreign  affairs,  Zulficar 
Pasha,  and  finding  there  the  usual  Turkish  delay,  he  re- 
quested an  audience  with  the  viceroy  himself,  and  after 
various  propositions,  which  the  consul-general  rejected  as 
being  entirely  inadequate,  he  secured  the  following  reply : 
"  Order  has  been  sent  to  Asyut  to  fine  the  thirteen  men 
whose  names  you  gave  me  this  morning,  each  according  to 
the  degree  of  his  responsibility,  to  the  amount  of  100,000 
piastres  [$5,000].  Order  has  been  given  to  the  governor 
of  Alexandria  to  send  that  sum  to  your  consulate,  with  the 
request  that  you  will  give  it  to  Paris.  Order  has  been  sent 
to  Asyut  to  put  these  thirteen  men  in  prison  for  one  year." 

The  successful  issue  of  such  a  glaring  case  of  Muslim 
hate  and  persecution  effectually  prevented,  for  a  long  time, 
any  outward  and  unlawful  opposition  to  the  mission  work  in 


134  The  American  Mission 

the  region  of  Asyut,  and  gave  notoriety  to  the  work  of  the 
American  missionaries  in  the  Nile  valley.  The  decision  was 
given  just  as  the  viceroy  was  on  the  point  of  leaving  Egypt 
to  go  to  Constantinople  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  new  Sul- 
tan, Abd-el-Aziz,  and  on  his  return,  after  about  a  month  and 
a  half,  the  consul-general,  in  accordance  with  a  tacit  under- 
standing between  him  and  the  viceroy  when  the  order  was 
issued,  interceded  with  his  highness  for  the  release  of  the 
prisoners,  which,  of  course,  was  granted.  In  the  meantime 
Mr.  Lansing  and  family  and  Miss  Dales,  who  was  just 
recovering  from  a  severe  illness,  had  left  Cairo  on  the 
"  Ibis  "  and  arrived  in  Asyut  just  the  day  after  the  prisoners 
were  set  free.  The  friendly  intervention  on  their  behalf  and 
their  release,  after  such  a  short  term  of  imprisonment,  aston- 
ished them  beyond  measure,  and  they  attributed  it  to  Mr. 
Lansing's  intercession  with  the  consul-general ;  and  in 
consequence  the  ringleader,  Ayub  Kashif,  a  wealthy  mer- 
chant in  Asyut,  made  a  great  feast  the  next  day  after  the 
arrival  of  the  "Ibis,"  at  which  Mr.  Lansing  and  Mr.  Paris 
were  the  guests  of  the  evening,  and  about  fifty  of  the  leading 
Copts  at  whose  instance  Paris  had  undertaken  to  plead  in 
the  case  of  the  woman,  were  invited  to  share  in  the  festivi- 
ties. As  the  ladies  were  prevented  by  sickness  from  being 
present  at  the  feast,  all  the  courses,  of  which  there  were 
upwards  of  forty,  were  on  their  removal  carried  down  to  the 
boat,  a  distance  of  more  than  a  mile,  so  that  the  missionary 
harem  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  at  least  what  in  other  cir- 
cumstances they  would  have  heartily  aided  in  discussing. 
Ayub  Kashif  expressed  to  Mr.  Lansing  his  surprise  at  being 
released  so  soon.  "  Know,  sir,  that  your  Koran  imprisoned 
you  and  our  Gospel  released  you,"  the  missionary  replied, 
thus  indicating  the  spirit  of  each  of  these  systems  of  religion. 
Thus  the  Lord  made  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him,  and 
the  remainder  of  wrath  he  restrained,  for  had  not  that  out- 
rage been  punished,  the  fanaticism  and  hate  of  the  Muslims 
for  the  Christians  would  have  been  a  mighty  obstacle  to  mis- 
sionary work  in  all  the  upper  country  ;  even  the  lives  of  the 


IN  Egypt.  135 

missionaries  and  native  Christians  might  have  been  in 
danger.  The  Copts  from  that  time,  too,  learned  the  rising 
influence  of  Protestantism,  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  believe 
that  the  news  of  the  Paris  case  and  its  issue,  as  it  spread 
abroad  among  the  people  started  in  them  a  desire  to  know 
something  of  that  religion  which  the  Americans  were 
teaching. 

Subsequent  to  the  case  of  persecution  just  mentioned, 
Paris  opened,  with  prospects  of  success,  a  boys'  school,  and 
Mr.  Lansing  put  in  it  on  his  last  trip  a  young  man  by  name 
Iskander  from  Alexandria,  taking  Paris  with  him  when  he 
returned,  in  order  to  give  him  an  opportunity  of  going  to 
Syria  to  bring  his  family. 

Mr,  Lansing  and  Mr.  Hogg  made  a  trip  together  in  the 
"Ibis"  down  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Nile  in  the  delta, 
visiting  as  many  villages  as  they  could  reach,  selling  books, 
holding  conversations  with  the  people  and  conducting  ser- 
vices on  the  boat.  They  visited  Mit  Ghamr,  Zifteh,  Sem- 
inud,  Monsurah,  Shirbin  and  Damietta,  besides  other  small 
towns  and  villages.  They  visited  the  Coptic  church  at 
Damietta,  and  had  the  usual  experience,  the  effects  of  which 
they  tried  to  remove  afterwards  by  taking  a  bath  in  the  Nile. 
They  were  kindly  treated  and  generously  entertained  in 
Damietta  by  Mr.  Saroor. 

The  writer  and  his  wife  accepted  the  appointment  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  i860  as  missionaries,  to  be  located  at 
Cairo,  Egypt.  They  left  Philadelphia  on  September  27, 
1861,  and  reached  Alexandria  on  November  27.  On  the 
way  out  they  spent  a  few  days  with  relatives  in  Scotland, 
and  had  a  long,  tedious  voyage  from  Liverpool,  being  com- 
pelled to  go  to  Alexandretta  and  Beirut  after  touching  at 
Malta.  On  arrival  at  Alexandria,  they  found  that  the  mis- 
sionaries had  made  a  redistribution  of  their  forces,  Mr. 
Lansing  and  family  and  Miss  Dales  going  to  Cairo;  while 
they  were  to  remain  in  Alexandria  instead  of  Cairo,  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hogg  and  Miss  McKown.  They  commenced 
housekeeping  the   second   week    after    arrival,  in   a   most 


136  The  American  Mission 

unhealthy  part  of  the  city  aheady  selected  by  the  mission- 
aries, called  Sikket-el-Habbalin. 

This  ends  the  record  of  the  year  1861,  during  which 
much  good  seed  had  been  sown  along  the  Nile  valley  in 
many  places,  and  there  was  much  evidence  that  the  Gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  nineteenth  century  as  in  the  first,  is 
the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God  unto  salvation. 


Mission  at  Mouth  of  the  Muski. 


IN  Egypt.  137 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

1862 — Jewish  parents  in  Alexandria  alarmed  for  their  girls  and  open  a 
school  for  them  and  take  them  away  from  our  school— Mr.  Hogg  in  Alexan- 
dria half  the  year— Then  Father  Makhiel— Sale  of  books— Premises  in  Cairo 
presented  by  Said  Pasha — Large  repairs  at  great  expense — Beneficial  effect 
on  the  work — Mr.  Hogg's  successful  trip  on  the  Nile — Interesting  discussions. 

The  movements  of  the  missionary  force  during  1862 
may  be  briefly  noted.  Rev.  A.  Watson  and  wife  and  Miss 
McKown  remained  all  the  year  in  Alexandria ;  Rev.  J.  Hogg 
and  wife  spent  in  Alexandria  January  and  February  ;  then 
March,  April  and  part  of  May  on  the  Nile  as  far  as  Aswan  ; 
returned  to  Alexandria  May  10  and  remained  there  till 
August,  when,  Mr.  Lansing  being  very  ill,  Mr.  Hogg  took 
his  place  in  Cairo,  and  from  that  time  remained  there.  Rev. 
S.  C.  Ewing  and  wife.  Miss  S.  B.  Dales  and  Miss  Hart  were 
in  Cairo  all  the  year,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lansing  until  October  7, 
when  they  left  Cairo  and  spent  the  remainder  of  the  year 
on  the  Nile. 

The  work  in  Alexandria  was  carried  on  with  vigor  and 
success  while  Mr.  Hogg  was  there,  but  during  his  absence, 
which  was  for  more  than  half  the  year,  being  left  in  the 
hands  of  raw  recruits  who  knew  little  of  the  language,  the 
various  branches  of  missionary  work  were  merely  kept  up  ; 
except  in  the  case  of  the  girls'  school,  in  which  such  good 
missionary  influence  was  exerted  among  the  Jewesses,  who 
formed  two-thirds  of  the  scholars,  that  the  Jews  became 
alarmed  lest  their  daughters  might  become  Christians  ;  and 
so  were  moved  to  open  a  school  on  their  own  account,  in 
which  were  offered  to  those  who  would  attend  such  induce- 
ments in  the  shape  of  free  instruction  and  handsome  prizes 
at  the  close  of  the  year,  that  the  larger  number  of  them  left 
our  school  and  went  to  their  own. 


138  The  American  Mission 

During  the  absence  of  Mr,  Hogg  the  Arabic  services 
were  conducted  by  Father  Makhiel-el-Belyani,  but  with  little 
acceptance  or  profit ;  partly  because  he  had  no  training  for 
public  speaking,  and  partly  on  account  of  natural  prejudice 
on  the  part  of  the  audience,  which  was  mostly  Syrian,  while 
he  was  a  Copt.  The  volumes  sold  in  the  city  during  1862 
were  1,236,  at  $380. 

Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  year  1862,  his  highness, 
Said  Pasha,  presented  the  mission  in  Cairo  with  large  and 
central  premises,  at  the  "  mouth  "  or  opening  of  theMuskee, 
which  is,  and  was  then,  the  main  street  of  Cairo.  As  far 
back  as  1859  Mr.  Muller  had  suggested  to  one  of  the  mission- 
aries to  petition  his  highness  for  a  lot,  or  a  house;  and  a 
petition  was  then  prepared  and  signed  by  Messrs.  Lansing, 
Barnett  and  McCague.  The  plea  made  in  the  petition  was 
the  fact  that  the  American  Mission  had  opened  schools  in 
which  young  men  and  women  v^ere  prepared  for  usefulness 
which  would  be  a  benefit  for  the  state,  and  the  mission  de- 
sired to  extend  its  energies  more  and  more  in  that  direction, 
and  since  his  highness  had  shown  his  favor  in  this  line  of 
work  to  others,  it  was  hoped  that  he  would  also  lend  a  help- 
ing hand  to  the  Americans  While  a  lot  or  house  in  Cairo 
was  at  first  thought  of,  yet,  on  negotiations  taking  place, 
various  houses  in  Alexandria  were  talked  of.  Finally,  how- 
ever, Cairo  was  agreed  upon  as  the  station  to  which  the 
grant  should  be  made. 

After  long  and  persistent  efforts  through  the  vice-consul 
and  the  consul-general,  urged  on  for  the  most  part  by  Mr. 
Lansing  and  his  colleagues,  and  after  an  offer  of  the  Bulac 
printing  press  house,  finally  the  premises  mentioned  above 
were  presented,  and  thankfully  received  on  February  17  ; 
and  on  the  3d  of  March  active  operations  commenced  to 
rearrange  and  repair  the  building  to  make  it  suitable  for  the 
purposes  intended.  By  the  i8th  of  the  same  month  the 
boys'  school  was  removed  into  it,  and  the  girls'  school  on 
June  21.  Messrs.  Lansing  and  Ewing  spent  most  of  their 
time  for  half  a  year  in  directing  the  repairs.     Apartments 


IN  EGYPT.  139 

were  fitted  up  for  the  missionary  families  besides  tlie 
scliools,  and  the  church  and  apartments  for  a  third  family 
were  added  afterwards.  The  dust  and  the  worry  of  the 
work  of  watching  and  directing  masons,  carpenters,  stone 
cutters,  plasterers,  flaggers  and  common  laborers,  in  the  hot 
weather,  were  a  terrible  strain  on  the  missionaries,  and  in 
consequence  Mr.  Lansing  broke  completely  down,  and  his 
life  was  for  a  time  despaired  of,  but  the  gracious  Father 
heard  the  prayers  offered  for  him  and  blessed  the  remedies 
employed  and  the  attention  given,  so  that  he  entirely  recov- 
ered and  was  able  to  do  efficient  work  on  the  Nile  before  the 
year  closed.  The  total  expenses  for  repairs  on  the  building 
amounted  to  over  ^ii,ooo,  but  it  saved  more  than  ^i,ooo 
rent  to  the  mission  every  year,  and  the  benefit  of  a  perma- 
nent location  in  the  center  of  the  capital  soon  appeared  in  all 
departments  of  the  work.  When  the  boys'  school  was 
transferred  to  the  new  rooms  the  attendance  did  not  exceed 
sixty.  It  was  not  long,  hov/ever,  until  there  were  200  names 
enrolled.  This  excited  the  jealousy  of  the  leading  Copts, 
and  they  used  their  utmost  efforts  to  influence  the  parents  to 
withdraw  their  children  from  the  schools,  and  were  success- 
ful for  a  fev/  days,  but  the  boys  soon  began  to  return,  and 
the  number  again  went  up.  Mr.  Hogg,  on  account  of  the 
illness  of  Mr.  Lansing,  went  to  Cairo  to  take  his  place  and 
remained  there  during  his  absence.  Being  by  nature  a 
teacher  and  organizer,  he  took  great  delight  in  the  school, 
and  before  long  made  it  a  mighty  power  for  good,  in  the 
missionary  sense  of  the  term.  The  girls' school,  too,  pros- 
pered on  being  transferred  to  the  new  premises,  the 
enrollment  for  the  year  being  250,  but  the  daily  attendance 
was  only  about  ninety.  The  school  in  Haret-es-Sakkain 
continued  to  increase  in  its  usefulness,  the  attendance  being 
much  more  constant  than  that  in  the  Ezbakiyah. 

The  Arabic  services  were  attended  at  the  close  of  the 
year  by  three  times  as  many  as  the  number  atthe  beginning, 
chiefly  on  account  of  the  commodious  and  central  premises, 
but  also  on  account  of  the  increased  notoriety  of  the  mission 


140  The  American  Mission 

and  the  growing  interest  in  Bible  truth.  The  new  premises 
offered  facilities  also  for  meeting  with  people,  and  the  mis- 
sionaries found  their  time  largely  taken  up  with  native  callers, 
not  all,  it  is  true,  making  inquiries  about  the  interests  of 
their  souls,  but  still  giving  the  missionaries  opportunities  for 
exerting  an  influence  upon  them  for  good.  By  the  close  of 
the  year  twenty-four  members  were  added  to  the  roll  of 
membership,  a  very  encouraging  accession,  considering  the 
attention  of  the  missionaries  had  been  so  much  taken  up 
with  brick  and  lime  during  the  year.  The  sales  at  the  shop' 
amounted  to  ^605. 

The  work  on  the  Nile  continued  to  occupy  the  attention 
of  the  mission,  Mr.  Hogg  made  his  first  missionary  tour, 
leaving  Cairo  on  March  i,  ©n  the  "  Ibis,"  having  with  him 
Mrs.  Hogg  and  his  daughter  Mary  Lizzie,  and  Abdulla  Wesa 
to  act  as  colporteur.  In  this  tour,  which  lasted  until  his 
return  to  Cairo,  May  8,  he  had  sailed  1,160  miles  in  70  days, 
less  the  number  of  Sabbaths  intervening,  visited  63  villages, 
sold  books  in  40,  walked  or  rode  donkeys  200  miles,  had 
conversations  with  62  priests,  45  monks,  two  bishops  and 
over  600  common  people,  such  as  scribes,  farmers  and  teach- 
ers. The  principal  topics  of  conversation  and  discussion 
with  nominal  Christians  were :  The  one  Sacrifice,  the  one 
Intercessor,  the  perfect  atonement,  the  true  nature  of  fasting 
and  prayer,  the  reasonable  service,  the  fullness  of  Gospel 
revelation,  innovations  of  fathers  and  councils,  confessions 
to  priests,  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  true  nature 
and  design  of  church  discipline,  spiritual  worship,  picture 
worship,  praying  and  talking  in  an  unknown  tongue,  the 
nature  and  designs  of  the  ministerial  office,  the  necessity  of 
the  new  birth. 

The  usual  mode  of  procedure  on  the  Nile  boat  tours  was, 
on  going  south,  not  to  stop  anywhere  except  on  Sabbaths 
and  when  the  wind  failed.  Prominent  places,  such  as  Beni 
Suef,  Minya,  Asyut,  Girga,  Luxor  and  Esna  were  generally 
exceptions  to  this  rule,  as  the  missionaries  and  the  boatmen 
might  need  a  supply  of  bread,  and  letters  or  news  from  the 


IN  EGYPT.  141 

north  were  always  welcome.  Having  reached  Aswan,  the 
missionary  began  work.  The  people  would  come  on  board 
to  buy  books,  conversation  was  begun  and  continued  a  longer 
or  shorter  time,  as  the  case  might  be,  a  portion  of  Scripture 
might  be  read  and  prayer  offered.  The  government  ofifices 
were  visited,  and  a  call  made  on  the  chief  government  offi- 
cial, even  though  he  was  a  Muslim.  In  the  evening  the 
people  either  came  on  board,  when  a  free  conversation  on 
religious  topics  took  place,  or  a  short  service  was  conducted 
in  some  private  family  on  shore.  When  all  left,  the  captain 
of  the  boat  was  told  to  untie  the  boat  and  let  her  float  down 
to  the  next  town.  In  the  morning  the  missionary  would 
find  the  boat  tied  to  the  bank  at  some  town.  The  news  had 
most  likely  gone  before  that  he  would  be  there,  or  if  not  the 
news  soon  spread,  and  most  likely  some  inquirers  or  pur- 
chasers of  books  were  waiting  to  be  received  as  soon  as  the 
missionary  got  his  breakfast.  Then  the  work  of  the  day 
began,  selling  books,  answering  questions,  discussing  doc- 
trines, attacking  vices,  enforcing  obligations,  setting  forth 
the  way  of  salvation  through  a  crucified  Saviour — the  sub- 
jects often  changed  through  a  change  of  callers,  or  the  intro- 
duction of  new  questions.  Whenever  an  opportunity  offered, 
the  missionary  left  the  boat  and  visited  the  government 
ofifices,  called  at  the  schools,  at  any  shops  where  there  ap- 
peared a  desire  to  purchase  books  or  to  enter  into  conversa- 
tion, especially  those  occupied  by  Copts.  In  the  evening 
services  were  held  in  the  boat,  or  in  the  school  room,  or  in 
the  court  of  some  private  house.  Visits  were  also  made  to 
towns  at  a  distance  from  the  river,  the  missionary  going 
either  on  a  donkey  or  walking.  Thus  the  work  went  on 
from  day  to  day  without  intermission  or  rest,  from  early 
morning  till  late  at  night.  On  one  occasion  the  writer  was 
so  worn  out  by  the  constant  visitation  and  conversations,  and 
conducting  of  services,  that  he  had  to  order  the  captain  to 
anchor  in  mid-stream  between  two  villages  in  order  to  rest 
for  a  day,  having  preached  sixty  times  in  as  many  days. 
As  a  specimen  of  the  character  of  the  work  done  in  these 


142  The  American  Mission 

towns,  1  quote  from  Mr.  Hogg's  diary  various  instances  of 
his  visits  among  tlie  people.  First,  at  Beni  Suef,  on  his  way 
up,  he  says  in  his  diary  : 

"  We  called  at  a  Coptic  church  and  were  superbly  re- 
ceived by  the  priests  there,  the  chief  of  whom,  a  kummus,* 
is  a  warm  friend  of  our  teacher  there.  We  then  visited  the 
school  in  company  with  several  of  the  priests  and  fathers  of 
the  children.  Thirty-seven  children  were  present,  all  of 
whom  were  Copts.  The  room  is  very  small,  without  win- 
dows, the  children  sit  on  matting  spread  on  the  earthen 
floor,  and  they  vary  in  age  from  six  to  fourteen.  The  con- 
sular agent  has  promised  to  build  suitable  school  rooms  on 
his  own  property  at  his  own  expense,  but  the  late  inundation 
destroyed  much  of  his  property,  which  has  to  be  repaired 
first.  We  spent  most  of  the  day  examining  the  school  in 
presence  of  Mr.  Fanus,  the  consular  agent  and  the  parents, 
and  at  the  close  promised  to  see  them  again  on  our  return, 
and  ordered  a  day's  vacation  to  the  pupils.  The  brother  of 
the  teacher  and  a  number  of  the  scribes  in  the  government 
offices  went  with  me  to  Mr.  Fanus'  house,  where  we  were 
entertained  with  pipes,  sweet  drinks,  and  coffee.  Had  for 
subject  of  conversation  Christ,  the  power  of  God  unto  sal- 
vation to  every  one  that  believes.  From  there  we  went  to 
the  divan, t  were  introduced  to  the  scribes,  and  had  conver- 
sations with  them  on  the  Scriptures.  Then  called  on  the 
governor,  a  Muhammadan,  and  found  him  busy  with  lists  of 
men  to  be  forwarded  to  the  Suez  Canal  works,  as  950  are 
required  from  this  province,  and  boats  are  ready  at  the 
wharf  to  take  them  to  Cairo  in  chains,  like  those  doomed  to 
the  galleys.  If  any  one  should  escape  all  his  family  are. 
seized,  and  all  the  males  are  sent  in  his  stead,  and  when  he 
is  found  he  is  sent  to  the  galleys.  The  whole  land  is  groan- 
ing with  this  burden.  The  French  name  is  execrated  in  the 
whole  of  the  upper  country.  After  the  governor  got  through 
with  his  work  he  entered  with  me  into  conversation  about 
the  Prince  of  Wales, t  the  history,  laws,  and  religion  of 
England.  He  was  pleased  to  find  a  European  who  could 
intelligibly  converse  in  Arabic,  and  asked  how  long  1  had 
been  in  Egypt,  why  I  had  come  here,  what  we  taught  in  our 
schools,  where  our  religion  differed  from  that  of  the  French, 
whom  he  seemed  utterly  to  detest.     1  had  a  good  opportu- 

♦  Archdeacon. 

t  Government  offices. 

j  He  had  just  visited  Egypt. 


IN  Egypt.  143 

nity  to  lay  before  him  the  general  plan  of  salvation,  and 
contrast  it  with  the  many  inventions  which  had  been  imposed 
upon  it,  and  he  finally  admitted  that  he  had  a  very  different 
idea  of  the  Christian  religion  now  than  what  he  had  got 
from  what  he  had  seen  of  its  influence  on  the  Copts  and 
other  sects  around  him.  He  then  turned  to  Fanus,  and  said, 
''  Is  this  what  the  Bible  teaches?'  The  latter  was  obliged  to 
answer,  *  Yes.'  *  Then,'  added  the  governor,  'why  have  the 
Copts  so  mutilated  and  marred  it?'  He  was  then  again  obliged 
to  answer  that  the  Copts  had  perverted  and  changed  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  Gospel  by  following  the  commandments  of  men. 
'  Then,'  said  he,  '  I  must  declare  the  Americans  are  right  and 
you  are  wrong.'  He  then  asked,  '  How  is  it  that  learned  peo- 
ple such  as  you  allow  yourselves  to  believe  the  old  fable  of  God 
having  a  Son,  and  letting  him  be  crucified  by  wicked  men  ?' 
Upon  this  I  endeavored,  as  distinctly  as  I  could,  to  show  him 
from  the  nature  of  sin  and  from  the  justice  of  God,  and  from 
Moses  and  the  prophets,  that  Christ  must  needs  suffer  in 
order  that  man,  the  sinner,  might  be  saved.  By  the  time 
I  was  done  the  large  hall  had  got  full  nearly  to  the  door, 
and  seeing  that  the  governor  had  little  time  left  to  attend  to 
business,  I  rose,  informing  him  that  some  of  his  arguments 
required  more  time  to  answer  than  1  had  to  gi\'e  or  he  to 
listen,  but  1  had  a  book  on  the  boat  which  took  up  the  whole 
subject,  and  I  would  be  glad  to  give  it  to  him  if  he  would 
read  it.  He  said  he  would  be  glad  to  do  so,  and  accordingly 
in  the  evening,  I  gave  Fanus  a  copy  of  Alexander's  *  Evi- 
dences of  Christianity,'  translated  into  Arabic,  and  when  I 
returned  two  months  afterwards,  I  found  that  he  had  been 
reading  it  and  had  spoken  of  it  so  favorably  to  others  that 
the  scribes  in  attendance  on  him  came  immediately  on  our 
arrival  and  bought  all  the  remaining  copies  of  it." 

At  Deirut,  Mr.  Hogg's  little  girl  was  suffering  from  a 
severe  attack  of  sore  eyes,  so  he  sent  out  Mr.  Abdulla  VVesa 
to  invite  people  to  come  to  the  boat.  After  a  time  he  came 
back  with  two  priests  and  six  or  seven  men,  none  of  whom 
could  read.     Mr.  Hogg  says  of  his  interview  with  them  : 

"As  Abdulla  had  been  discussing  with  them  the  subject 
of  the  Scriptures  being  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  I 
resumed  the  subject  on  their  arrival.  1  had  three  hours' 
discussion  on  confession,  fasting,  and  transubstantiation. 
One  of  the  men,  about  fifty  years  of  age,  though  he  could 
not  read,  yet  was  more  intelligent  than  most  of  the  Copts, 


144  The  American  Mission 

declared  that  the  Bible  was  all  on  our  side,  and  blamed  the 
priests  for  not  teaching  the  plain  truth  of  God,  adding,  '  We 
only  wish  to  know  what  God  says,  and  if  we  are  in  fault  as 
to  our  belief  our  priests  are  to  blame,  for  we  cannot  read, 
and  have  not  the  means  of  learning  elsewhere,  but  only 
from  those  whom  God  has  given  us  as  spiritual  guides-. 
We  don't  want  to  follow  human  inventions.  We  want  to 
learn  the  truth  as  contained  in  the  Bible.'  Poor  people  ! 
they  know  nothing  as  they  ought  to  know,  and  all  we  can 
do  during  these  passing  visits  is  to  make  them  hear  the 
truth,  in  the  hope  that  some  of  them  may  be  stirred  up  to  a 
spirit  of  inquiry,  and  such  of  the  priests  as  can  read  may  be 
forced  to  search  the  Scriptures  for  the  good  of  their  people, 
if  not  for  their  own." 

At  Manfalut,  a  Coptic  priest,  by  name  Butros,  whom 
Mr.  Lansing  recommended,  came  to  the  boat  accompanit-d 
by  a  kummus,  the  agent  of  the  bishop  in  his  absence,  both 
intelligent  men.     Mr.  Hogg  says  : 

"  Butros  is  one  of  the  few  Copts  met  by  us  who  are 
total  abstainers.  He  is  evidently  one  of  a  thousand ;  clear 
in  thought  and  bold  and  fearless  in  speech.  He  does  not 
hesitate  to  declare  openly  that  the  Coptic  Church  is  corrupt 
to  the  core,  and  through  him  many  have  ceased  to  kneel 
before  the  pictures  in  the  churches.  He  has  also  frequent 
discussions  with  the  Muslims  on  the  divinity  of  Christ.  Re- 
cently the  Muslims  of  Manfalut,  finding  that  he  was  more 
than  a  match  for  them  in  argument,  sent  to  a  neighboring 
village  for  a  noted  disputant.  Butros  adopted  the  Socratic 
mode  of  cross-questioning  his  opponent,  and  in  a  short  time 
sent  him  off  self-condemned  and  abashed.  He  pressed  me 
strongly  to  remain  a  fortnight  with  them  at  Manfalut.  He 
said  the  time  will  pass  so  quickly  that  it  will  seem  like  so 
many  hours.  He  declared  that  the  Copts  in  Manfalut  would 
rejoice  if  we  would  start  a  school  there  and  supply  them 
with  a  teacher.  1  replied  that  we  hoped  soon  to  be  able  to 
spare  one  of  our  own  number  to  labor  in  Asyut,  or  some- 
where in  the  'Said.'  *  'Oh,  that  will  be  best  of  all,'  he 
said.     '  We  did  not  dare  hope  for  such  a  good  thing.'  " 

At  Asyut,  Mr.  Hogg  was  kept  for  some  time  investi- 
gating the  reason  for  the  falling  off  in  the  attendance  of  the 
scholars,  and  learned  after  full  investigation  that  it  arose  from 

*  Upper  country. 


Uncle  Fam  on   a   Donkev. 


IN  Egypt.  145 

the  too  strict  rules  of  the  teacher,  and  the  disappointment  of 
the  parents  that  their  children  were  not  protected  from  work- 
ing on  the  dykes  and  canals. 

On  Sabbath  he  had  service  in  Mr.  Wasif-el-Khayat's 
reception  room.  There  were  present  eighteen  men,  of  whom 
four  were  Coptic  priests  and  three  of  the  leading  men,  one 
the  chief  scribe  of  the  government.  Some  of  them  are  en- 
lightened men  who  know  the  errors  of  the  Coptic  Church, 
but  for  various  reasons  are  afraid  to  take  a  stand.  "  I  en- 
deavored," said  Mr.  Hogg,  "to  show  them  the  sin  and  folly 
of  such  a  course  from  a  discussion  of  Mat.  12:  30,  *  He  that 
is  not  with  us  is  against  us.'  It  did  not  seem  to  have  struck 
them  before  that  their  stated  neutrality  is  practical  hostility 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  but  as  I  proceeded  with  my  discourse 
the  truth  seemed  to  flash  upon  the  minds  of  some  of  them, 
and  the  chief  scribe  cried  out,  in  a  voice  loud  enough  to  be 
heard  by  all  in  the  room,  *  Oh !  Lord,  be  merciful  to  me  a 
sinner.'  One  of  them  endeavored  afterwards  to  justify  him- 
self and  the  rest  for  their  time-serving  conduct,  by  repre- 
senting the  difficulty  of  their  position  in  strong  terms  ;  but  it 
was  clear  that  he  felt  ill  at  ease  and  dissatisfied  with  him- 
self." 

"At  Aswan,"  Mr.  Hogg  says,  "we  went  to  the  Coptic 
church  at  six  and  got  out  at  seven.  From  thirty  to  forty 
present,  but  how  empty  the  services  !  There  was  one  priest 
six  feet  three  inches  in  height,  and  half  a  dozen  little  boys. 
All  went  into  the  altar  room.  The  communicants  were  the 
priests,  one  boy  and  three  infants.  The  latter  partook  of 
the  wine  only,  and  that  from  the  fingers  of  the  priests. 
After  finishing  the  cup,  the  priest  washed  his  hands  in  the 
dish  and  then  drank  the  contents.  A  loaf  was  distributed 
among  the  people  at  the  close  of  the  service.  A  few  women 
were  present.  After  the  service  we  drank  coffee  and  had 
pipes,  and  had  conversations  on  the  subject  of  the  patriarch- 
ate, when  I  said  it  was  not  known  in  the  days  of  the  apostles. 
I  invited  all  to  come  to  worship  in  the  'Ibis.'  Nearly  all 
came  except  the  women.     I  accompanied  the  reading  of  the 


146  The  American  Mission 

lesson  by  a  running  commentary,  and  dwelt  much  on  the 
Gospels.  There  was  marked  attention,  with  audible  expres- 
sions of  concurrence  with  the  thoughts  expressed.  All  were 
surprised  that  I  had  no  priestly  robes.  After  the  service, 
had  coffee  and  cigarettes.  I  then  referred  to  i  Corinthians, 
14,  and  spoke  of  the  utter  uselessness  of  reading  or  speaking 
in  an  unknown  tongue.  None  attempted  to  justify  it,  but 
they  replied  that  they  had  no  one  able  to  preach  to  them.  1 
told  them  they  ought  to  train  men  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
if  they  would  give  sufficient  salary  to  their  priests,  educated 
men  would  soon  offer  themselves  to  the  priesthood.  I  read 
for  them  Paul's  description  of  the  preacher,  and  also  of  the 
deacons,  contrasting  the  former  with  their  priests  and  the 
latter  with  their  little  boys." 

On  reaching  the  harbor  for  Kus,  Mr.  Hogg  says  : 

"  Ibrahim  and  I  walked  all  the  way,  which  is  about  two 
and  a  half  miles,  the  former  carrying  the  books  and  the 
Bible.  Fam  Stefanos,  an  enlightened  Coptic  scribe,  is  resi- 
dent here,  and  for  him  we  made  inquiries  at  a  shop.  The 
people  there  offered  no  coffee,  and  looked  at  our  books,  and 
bought  all  the  Psalms  we  had  and  one  Testament,  and  then 
accompanied  us  to  the  door  of  the  church.  There  they 
spread  a  mat  and  Persian  rug  and  cushions,  and  asked  us  to 
be  seated,  while  they  sent  for  Fam.  He  soon  arrived,  and  a 
crowd  in  the  meantime  had  gathered  around  us.  We 
showed  our  stock  of  books.  They  consulted  Fam  as  to  what 
books  they  ought  to  buy,  and  he  showed  by  his  answers  that 
he  was  entirely  acquainted  with  the  contents  of  each,  and 
indicated  several  which  suited  the  several  purchasers. 
We  remained  till  after  nightfall  and  had  a  truly  interesting 
season.  It  was  evident  that  a  good  work  had  been  going  on 
there  for  a  long  time ;  a  little  leaven  was  leavening  the 
whole  of  the  community.  I  asked  them  about  their  ideas 
on  fasting  ?  Is  he  an  unbeliever  who  refuses  to  observe  the 
fasts  of  the  Church.?  'No,  no,' was  the  answer  given; 
'  we  are  at  one  with  you  here  ;  we  believe  that  every  man 
is  left  to  his  own  free  choice.'  Does  the  man  who  prays  and 
fasts  merit  anything  from  God  on  that  account  ?  *  No.  Sal- 
vation is  wholly  of  God's  free  grace,  but  his  faith  in  Christ 
must  be  accompanied  by  good  works,  else  his  faith  is  dead.' 
I  was  also  asked  :  '  What  was  the  original  constitution  of  the 


IN  Egypt.  147 

Chmch?'  'No  kummus,  no  bishop,  no  matran,  no  Pa- 
triarch.' '  How  can  a  believer  obtain  peace  when  he  daiiy 
commits  sn?'  'By  looking  away  continually  to  Christ, 
and  not  into  his  own  evil  heart.'  '  If  I  believe  it  to  be  a 
sin  to  confess  to  the  priest,  and  confess  only  .to  God,  and  if 
the  priest  therefore  refuses  to  admit  me  to  the  Lord's  table, 
may  I  still  hope  to  be  accepted  by  God,  though  expelled  from 
the  visible  Church?'  'Tell  the  priest  freely  what  your 
sentiments  are  on  the  subject  of  confession,  and  if  he  per- 
sists in  refusing  to  allow  you  to  partake  of  the  Sacrament, 
he  shall  have  expelled  you  as  the  Pharisees  did  him  who  was 
born  blind  ;  but  remember  the  Master  afterwards  met  and 
blessed  him  who  had  been  cast  out,  and  He  will  accept  you 
if  your  heart  is  right  in  His  sight,  and  you  are  walking  in  His 
ways,  or  suffering  patiently  for  His  sake.' 

"  '  But  how  can  the  priest  know  who  to  accept  or  agree 
to  admit  to  communion  if  there  is  no  confession  .?' 

"  '  If  he  is  a  faithful  shepherd  of  the  flock,  he  will  have 
little  difficulty  in  knowing  who  are  and  who  are  not  possessed 
of  the  necessary  qualifications.  His  knowledge  of  the  outward 
conduct  of  his  people  will  enable  him  to  exercise  a  strict  and 
wholesome  discipline,  while  he  who  lives  in  secret  sin  will 
not  always  confess  it  even  to  the  priest.' 

"  '  How  can  the  priest  admonish  his  people  privately  if 
they  do  not  confess  to  him  .?  How  can  he  administer  to  each 
the  special  medicine  suited  to  each  case  ?' 

"  'By  carefully  studying  the  Bible  and  his  own  heart 
and  being  intimately  acquainted  with  the  habits  and  practices 
of  the  people  through  frequent  intercourse  with  them.' 

"  About  forty  were  present  all  the  time,  and  they  made 
us  promise  to  come  back  in  the  morning,  saying  they  would 
have  donkeys  waiting  for  us  on  the  river  bank.  Upon  this 
we  left,  riding  back  to  the  boat  and  accompanied  by  men 
with  lanterns.  Soon  after  sunrise  next  morning,  April  8,  we 
returned,  taking  with  us  two  boxes  of  books.  The  donkeys 
were  awaiting  us,  according  to  promise,  and  on  our  arrival 
we  found  the  people  waiting  for  us  in  a  large  court  in  Fam's 
house,  and  there  we  spent  the  whole  day.  Abdullah  sold 
while  I  did  the  talking.  Fam  and  others  had  evidently  been 
preparing  for  the  occasion  a  set  of  questions  which  kept  me 
for  three  hours,  and  embraced  a  small  course  of  divinity  I 
got  so  fatigued  by  mid-day  that  I  was  obliged  to  have  a  short 
respite.  We  then  visited  the  bishop,  who  was  ill.  We 
returned  and  dined  at  Fam's  house,  and  remained  till  near 


148  The  American  Mission 

night,  and  before  leaving  had  a  regular  service  attended  by 
about  fifty  persons — subject,  the  parable  of  the  sower,  with 
special  reference  to  the  seed  which  had  just  been  sown 
there.  I  prayed  for  the  Spirit  to  do  His  work,  and  cause  the 
seed  to  grow  up  and  bear  fruit.  All  left  about  sunset,  with 
cordial  greetings  and  hearty  well  wishes.  Oh  !  that  I  could 
remain  here  all  summer!  The  field  is  white,  almost  ready 
for  the  sickle,  but  where  are  the  reapers  ?" 

I  have  made  these  selections  from  Mr,  Hogg's  diary,  in 
which  he  records  more  fully  than  any  other  his  intercourse 
with  the  people ;  and  from  these  the  reader  will  have  an 
idea  of  the  Nile  work  then.  At  the  present  time  the  sale  of 
the  Scriptures  is  dispensed  with  in  these  towns,  because  the 
whole  country  is  apportioned  to  colporteurs,  who  visit  every 
town  and  village.  The  advanced  state  of  the  work,  too, 
requires  more  time  for  preaching,  directing  and  encouraging 
the  many  workers  at  the  numerous  stations  occupied,  and 
giving  a  new  impetus  to  professed  Christians  in  their  spiritual 
life.  The  number  of  volumes  sold  on  Mr.  Hogg's  tour  was 
430,  at  $115  ;  the  number  on  Mr.  Lansing's  501,  at  $135. 

Schools  were  continued  at  Beni  Suef,  Ibrahim  Yusif  as 
teacher,  and  at  Asyut  with  Iskander. 


IN  Egypt.  149 


CHAPTER  IX. 

1863 — Sickness  among  the  missionaries — Fears  of  Muslim  uprising — 
Occurrence  in  Alexandria  and  summary  punishment — I.  Gowdy's  imprison- 
ment for  writing  against  Islam — Active  opposition  of  Coptic  hierarchy  on  the 
election  of  new  Patriarcli — Overruled  for  good — Bad  times  on  account  of 
American  war— Order  to  reduce  salaries  and  wages  one-fourth — Timely  aid 
from  English  friends— Visit  of  Dr.  Dales'  party— Organization  of  the  Cairo 
congregation — Action  in  regard  to  training  young  men  for  Christian  work — 
Visit  of  Mr.  Lansing  to  Sitt  Damienna  and  exposure  of  Coptic  visions — Sale 
of  Scriptures — Conversion  of  Bamba  and  her  associates — Evening  meetings 
in  various  parts  of  the  city — Murrain  among  the  cattle. 

The  year  1863  was  a  year  of  sickness,  trial,  and  perse- 
cution. Towards  the  beginning  of  the  year  Mrs.  Watson 
was  confined  for  two  months  to  a  sick  chamber,  part  of  the 
time  in  a  critical  state,  and  scarcely  had  she  become  conva- 
lescent when  the  writer  was  seized  with  a  severe  attack  of 
ophthalmia,  which  lasted  for  seven  months,  reducing  him  to  a 
state  of  utter  prostration,  and  rendering  it  necessary  for  him 
to  leave  the  country  for  a  time,  in  order  to  preserve  his  eye- 
sight from  permanent  injury.  For  days  and  weeks  he  suf- 
fered the  severest  pain,  had  to  remain  in  a  dark  room  and 
wear  a  thick  bandage  over  his  eyes,  on  account  of  extreme 
sensitiveness  to  the  light.  He  left  for  Syria  with  his  family 
about  the  end  of  June,  and  returned  early  in  October,  with 
his  general  health  quite  restored,  and  his  eyes  greatly  im- 
proved, though  he  was  still  obliged,  from  fear  of  a  return 
of  the  disease,  to  use  them  with  great  care  and  precaution. 
They  had  only  been  home  two  months  when  their  beloved 
and  only  child,  George  Andrew,  was  taken  from  them,  at 
the  age  of  eleven  and  one-half  months. 

About  the  end  of  March  Mrs.  Hogg  was  attacked  with 
smallpox,  and  had  to  be  put  in  quarantine  in  the  mission 
house  in  Cairo,  her  husband   choosing  to  act  as  her  nurse. 


150  The  American  Mission 

He  remained  in  seclusion  with  her  for  a  month,  and  then, 
with  hearts  full  of  thankfulness  and  voices  ready  for  praise, 
they  were  both  allowed  to  mingle  again  in  the  society  of 
friends,  and  take  part  in  the  Lord's  public  worship  and 
work. 

Mr.  Lansing,  in  reduced  health,  left  Cairo  for  America 
with  his  family  about  the  beginning  of  June,  while  Mr. 
Hogg's  health  was  in  an  uncertain  state.  Mr.  Ewing  and 
family  went  to  Alexandria,  and  took  charge  of  the  work 
there  in  the  writer's  absence  in  Syria,  returning  to  Cairo 
early  in  October. 

On  account  of  the  terrible  civil  war  in  the  United 
States,  the  contributions  of  the  home  Church  fell  off,  and 
the  board  ordered  that  the  salaries  of  the  missionaries  be 
reduced  one-fourth,  at  a  time,  too,  when  the  prices  of  every- 
thing in  Egypt  had  largely  increased  on  account  of  the  influx 
oi  gold  from  the  great  advance  on  the  price  of  cotton  and 
the  quantity  raised.  The  United  States  currency  had  depre- 
ciated to  a  great  extent,  and  the  premium  on  exchange  bills 
had  increased  in  consequence.  The  treasury  in  Egypt  was 
not  only  empty,  but  largely  overdrawn,  and  the  treasurer 
was  ashamed  often  to  ask  the  patient  banker  for  a  further 
advance.  Rents  became  due  and  could  not  be  paid  promptly, 
while  the  landlords  were  put  off  with  promises,  which  some- 
times, much  to  the  chagrin  of  the  missionaries,  could  not  be 
fulfilled.  On  one  occasion  Mr.  Hogg  said  to  Mr.  Lansing 
that  he  had  nothing  with  which  to  get  dinner.  Mr.  Lansing 
had  a  dollar,  which  he  gave  him,  saying,  "The  Lord  will 
stMid  more  in  due  time,"  and  sure  enough  a  letter  came  in 
the  afternoon  with  a  small  remittance. 

On  the  death  of  Sa'id  Pasha,  early  in  the  year,  and  the 
belief  of  the  Muhammadans  that  his  successor,  Ishmael 
Pasha,  was  a  bigoted  Muslim,  an  uneasy  feeling  showed 
itself  among  all  the  Christian  sects,  and  especially  among 
the  Copts  and  Syrians.  Threats  were  openly  made  by  the 
Muhammadans  that  their  time  had  come  to  show  their  power, 
since  the  Christian  Sa'id  had  died  and  the  Muslim  Ishmael 


IN  Egypt.  151 

had  come  to  power.  All  sorts  of  rumors  were  afloat,  in- 
creasing and  extending  day  after  day.  The  Christians  were 
advised  to  keep  to  their  houses  at  night  for  fear  of  disturb- 
ances. Letters  written  by  the  missionaries  show  that  they 
felt  they  were  living  on  the  edge  of  a  crater,  which  might 
burst  forth  with  all  its  destructive  force  at  any  moment. 
This  feeling  continued  until  there  came  an  occasion  for  pun- 
ishing the  arrogance  and  hate  of  the  Muhammadans  in  Alex- 
andria. Some  Frenchmen,  or  French  proteges,  were  walk- 
ing along  in  a  narrow  street  in  the  city  where  the  rain  had 
made  it  diificult  for  two  pedestrians  to  pass  each  other. 
They  were  met  by  some  Muhammadans,  and  a  quarrel 
ensued  about  the  right  of  way,  and  the  French  were  mal- 
treated by  the  Muhammadans.  The  news  spread  abroad  in 
the  city,  and  men  were  afraid  of  an  uprising  and  massacre 
like  that  in  Damascus.  The  Frenchmen,  however,  betook 
themselves  to  their  official  representative,  who  took  up  the 
matter  energetically  and  carried  it  to  a  successful  conclusion, 
so  that  the  parties  were  apprehended  and  punished  in  such  a 
way  as  to  teach  the  low-class  Muhammadans  that  the  new 
viceroy  would  lend  no  assistance  to  persons  prompted  by 
fanaticism  to  injure  others.  From  that  time  the  Muslims 
remained  perfectly  quiet,  a  fact  that  proves  what  is  well 
known  in  Egypt,  that  Egyptian  Muhammadans  never  plan 
any  uprising  without  being  assisted  by  some  person  possess- 
ing the  symbol  of  power. 

hi  the  early  part  of  the  year  a  young  Muslim,  educated 
in  France,  and  imbibing  the  spirit  of  freedom  of  thought, 
with  more  zeal  than  prudence,  commenced  a  series  of  articles 
on  the  East  and  its  religions,  and  had  two  or  three  published 
in  a  European  sheet  in  Alexandria.  In  one  of  these  were 
severe  strictures  on  the  Prophet  of  Islam.  The  articles 
soon  came  to  the  notice  of  the  mosque  part}^  at  whose 
instance  he  was  apprehended  and  thrown  into  prison,  and 
put  into  a  filthy  apartment.  Some  of  the  native  brethren 
heard  of  the  case,  and  reported  it  to  the  missionaries.  Mr. 
Lansing  made  inquiries  concerning  it,  and  on   learning  the 


152  The  AMERICAN  Mission 

particulars,  sought  to  interest  the  United  States  consul-gen- 
eral in  the  matter.  He  consented  to  join  the  English  consul- 
general  in  making  representations  to  the  viceroy,  on  the  plea 
that  it  was  an  age  of  liberty,  and  it  would  injure  the  name 
of  the  viceroy  to  allow  imprisonment  in  such  a  manner  on 
account  of  such  an  offense.  While  negotiations  were  going 
on,  the  man  was  suddenly  sent  to  Cairo,  imprisoned  there, 
and  visited  by  some  of  the  native  brethren.  But  he  sud- 
denly disappeared  from  the  prison,  and  no  one  could  discover 
his  whereabouts  for  some  time.  It  was  concluded  that  he  had 
been  thrown  into  the  river  or  disposed  of  in  some  summary 
manner.  The  good  offices  of  the  consuls  were,  however, 
crowned  with  success  at  last,  and  the  man  was  brought  back 
from  Minza,  whither  he  had  been  sent  on  the  way  to  the 
White  Nile,  which  meant  death  from  drowning  on  reaching 
the  limits  of  Egypt.  The  man  still  lives  in  Cairo,  and  is 
grateful  to  this  day  for  the  interest  and  action  of  Mr.  Lans- 
ing in  his  case.  He  considers  his  spared  life  as  due  to  his 
efforts.  I  find  two  of  the  articles  he  wrote  in  the  papers 
now  in  my  possession.  I  am  sorry  to  add,  however,  that 
the  man  does  not  seem  to  have  any  religion,  though  he  is  a 
man  of  good  moral  character,  and  occasionally  pays  a  visit 
to  our  Cairo  bookshop. 

The  various  departments  of  the  mission  work  were 
carried  on  with  varying  success  during  the  year.  The  addi- 
tions to  the  church  were  only  nine,  one  in  Alexandria  and 
eight  in  Cairo.  Various  causes  operated  to  influence  the 
people  and  prevent  their  attendance  at  religious  meetings, 
and  from  uniting  their  interests  with  the  missionaries.  The 
chief  among  these  was  that  so  clearly  set  forth  in  the  mis- 
sion report  for  the  year,  and  is  as  follows  : 

"  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  the  tide  of  success 
which  had  set  in  on  the  Cairo  mission  during  1862  would  be 
allowed  to  flow  without  interruption,  if  it  were  in  the  power 
of  the  Coptic  priesthood  to  check  it.  The  wonder  is  that 
they  permitted  the  tidal  wave  to  grow  into  such  threatening 
dimensions  before  at  least  attempting  to  stem  it.  Their 
neglecting  to  do  so  sooner  can  only  be  accounted  for  by  the 


IN  EGYPT.  153 

leading  dignitaries  of  the  Coptic  sect  being  ignorant  of  the 
real  extent  to  which  evangelistic  opinions  had  spread  through- 
out their  churches,  or  else  too  deeply  engrossed  with  other 
matters  of  their  own  to  admit  of  their  watching  very  care- 
fully the  movements  of  their  neighbors,  or  perhaps  they 
might  have  been  so  much  divided  among  themselves  that 
they  could  not  take  united  action  against  us.  All  these 
causes  seem  to  have  co-operated  to  some  extent  in  prevent- 
ing them  organizing  any  general  or  decisive  measure  of 
opDOsition,  until  the  second  week  in  June,  when  circum- 
stances nad  become  peculiarly  favorable  for  combined  action 
against  us.  A  new  Patriarch  had  just  been  elected,  after 
two  years'  angry  discussion  and  altercations  on  the  subject 
between  the  monks  and  the  bishops.  These  latter  had  then 
returned  to  their  dioceses  and  soon  found  that  the  American 
missionaries  had  been  there  in  their  absence  two  and  three 
times  a  year,  and  had  disseminated  '  heresy  '  wherever  they 
went.  The  Patriarch  sliortly  after  his  election  made  a  tour 
in  person  throughout  lower  Egypt,  and  even  there  he  had 
seen  enough  to  convince  him  that  his  new-born  dignity 
would  not  be  worth  much  to  him  long,  unless  his  people 
were  brought  into  stricter  obedience  to  the  faith  delivered  to 
them  by  their  ancestors.  On  his  return  from  this  pastoral 
visit,  he  had  an  audience  with  the  new  viceroy,  who  it  is 
said  received  him  very  kindly,  but  warned  him  to  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  Franks  (Europeans  and  Americans), 
and  therefore  urged  him  to  educate  the  children  of  his  sect 
himself,  and  finally  made  him  a  gift  of  1500  acres  of  land 
to  enable  him  to  carry  out  more  effectually  his  highness' 
wishes  in  this  matter. 

"  It  was  under  such  a  combination  of  influences — when 
thus  stirred  up  from  within,  and  urged  on  from  without — 
that  a  general  convention  was  summoned  of  the  leading 
men  of  the  sect,  in  order  to  devise  measures  for  accomplish- 
ing the  double  object  of  weakening  the  influence  of  our 
mission,  and  carrying  out  the  desires  of  the  viceroy — for  they 
knew  that  they  would  doubtless  incur  the  displeasure  of  their 
sovereign  if  they  failed  to  assume  the  responsibilities  which 
his  grant  had  imposed  upon  them.  Everything  seemed 
favorable,  even  the  season  of  the  year,  for  it  was  now  mid- 
summer, and  there  was  sickness  in  the  only  remaining 
family  of  the  mission  (for  Mr.  Lansing  and  family  had  left 
for  America),  and  consequently  it  was  resolved  to  adopt  no 
half  measures,  but  to  seize  the  opportunity,  and  bv  one 
grand  effort  break  up  our  schools,  and  thus  weaken  if  not 


154  The  American  Mission 

destroy  our  influence  as  a  mission.  The  first  thing  tliey  tried 
was  to  buy  off  our  teachers,  by  offering  them  greatly  in- 
creased salaries.  Failing  in  this,  lucrative  posts  were  offered 
them  in  the  service  of  the  government ;  and  this  succeeded, 
at  least,  in  one  instance.  Strange  means  were  then  resorted 
to.  Chrysostom's  Homilies  were  laid  aside,  and  the  Pa- 
triarch mounted  the  pulpit  for  once  with  a  piece  of  original 
composition,  in  which  he  denounced  us  as  *  ravening  wolves,' 
proselyterians,  heretics,  etc.,  and  branded  with  the  '  haram  ' 
(threat  of  excommunication)  all  who  should  persist  in  hold- 
ing any  further  intercourse  with  us.  Dissatisfied  with  the 
partial  success  with  which  even  this  was  followed,  the  priests 
were  next  ordered  to  visit  the  families  of  the  contumacious, 
and  the  servants  of  the  Patriarch  began  to  scour  the  streets, 
seizing  the  books,  and  in  other  ways  annoying  the  children 
on  their  way  to  the  schools.  At  length  they  grew  so  bold  as 
to  seize  the  more  refractory  of  them,  and  carry  them  off  by 
force  to  tiie  school  of  the  Patriarch.  When  matters  reached 
this  point,  Mr.  Hogg  waited  on  the  Patriarch,  in  company 
with  the  consul,  and  requested  him  to  put  a  stop  to  such 
doings,  or  otherwise  he  would  be  obliged  to  take  legal  steps 
against  his  employes  for  kidnaping  our  children. 

"  This  remonstrance  proved  effectual  in  stopping  the 
seizures  of  boys  in  the  streets,  and,  indeed,  from  that  time, 
partly  owing  to  this,  but  chiefly  to  the  efforts  of  our  teachers 
and  church  members  among  the  parents  of  the  children,  we 
observed  a  marked  change  in  the  general  demeanor  and 
bearing  of  the  Coptic  clergy  towards  us  and  our  converts. 
Several  cases  have  occurred  in  which  individual  priests  have 
insulted  some  of  the  members  and  office-bearers  of  the 
Church,  and  they  have  been  always  reprimanded  by  the 
Patriarch  or  the  bishop  of  Cairo.  Thus  '  Man  proposes,  while 
God  disposes.'  The  blast  which  was  meant  to  blow  right 
ahead  of  our  tiny  bark,  and,  perchance,  to  sink  it  under  the 
waves,  became,  at  last,  a  side  wind  which  drove  her  more 
rapidly  along  in  her  course  than  an  ordinary,  though  more 
favoring,  breeze  could  have  done.  Thus  God  makes  the 
wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him,  for  it  is  our  Arm  conviction  that 
the  infatuation  of  the  Coptic  clergy  has  done  more  to  further 
the  objects  of  our  mission  during  the  past  year  than  any 
ordinary  efforts  of  ours  could  have  accomplished  in  three 
times  that  period.  One  young  man  owes  his  conversion  to 
his  having  been  forcibly  withdrawn  from  our  service,  and 
hundreds  are  now  daily  discussing  our  doctrines,  who  a  year 
ago  were  ignorant  of  our  very  existence." 


IN  Egypt.  155 

While  there  was  much  to  try  the  faith  and  endurance  of 
the  missionaries  during  1863,  there  were  many  things  to 
prove  the  faithfulness  and  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord,  and  to 
encourage  the  workmen  to  pursue,  even  though  they  might 
be  faint  and  weary.  While  the  usual  source  of  human 
supply  for  the  support  of  the  mission  failed  to  a  large  extent, 
and  bankruptcy  stared  the  mission  in  the  face,  the  Lord 
raised  up  friends  in  various  directions.  Mr.  Rankin,  an 
English  merchant  in  Alexandria,  on  hearing  that  the  appro- 
priations were  reduced  one-fourth,  immediately  sent  a 
cheque  for  $500,  to  be  used  in  keeping  up  the  salaries  of  the 
missionaries.  He  also  promised  to  secure  half  the  amount 
necessary  to  purchase  a  small  boat  for  evangelistic  purposes 
by  means  of  the  Nile  and  larger  canals.  Other  friends,  also, 
were  moved  to  send  their  contributions,  especially  friends  of 
the  cause  in  Scotland,  through  the  personal  appeals  of 
Brother  Hogg.  Again  and  again,,  when  we  knew  not  how 
teachers'  salaries  were  to  be  met,  rents  paid,  and  the  daily 
bread  of  the  mission  staff  secured,  the  Lord  in  His  mercy 
raised  up  friends,  who  acted  as  stewards  in  the  distribution 
of  the  Lord's  money  committed  to  them. 

It  is  worthy  of  note,  also,  that  it  was  during  the  first 
months  of  this  year  that  Dr.  J.  B.  Dales,  his  family,  and 
Dr.  James  Prestley,  visited  Egypt,  and  while  Drs.  Dales  and 
Prestley  came  at  tiieir  own  expense,  yet  they  were  requested 
by  the  Board  to  look  into  the  work  of  the  mission  and  report 
thereon.  They  visited  Alexandria  and  Cairo,  and  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Lansing,  made  a  trip  up  the  Nile  as  far  as 
Aswan,  and  saw  the  field  and  the  operations  of  the  mission 
fairly  well.  They  were  present  at  the  meeting  of  presby- 
tery at  which  the  secretary  of  the  board  made  various 
suggestions  in  the  line  of  counsel  and  aid  to  the  workers. 
The  writer  can  never  forget  the  pleasure  afforded  to  him  and 
his  wife  in  having  Mrs.  Dales  with  them,  while  the  rest  of 
the  party  made  a  trip  to  the  Holy  Land.  With  that  visit 
began  a  friendship  that  continued  as  long  as  she  lived — a 
friendship  which  on  her  part  showed  itself  in  many  ways  to 


156  The  American  Mission 

them  and  their  children,  by  many  acts  of  kindness  sponta- 
neouslyr  endered.  During  the  presence  of  Drs.  Dales  and 
Prestley  then  in  Cairo,  the  native  members  of  the  Cairo 
station  met  in  accordance  with  the  directions  of  presbytery. 
Dr.  Lansing  being  in  the  chair  and  proceeded  to  elect  suit- 
able persons  to  be  elders  and  deacons.  The  election  resulted 
in  the  choice  of  Makhiel  Nakhiel,  Salih  Awed,  Minas  Yacoob, 
and  Girgis  Bishetly  as  elders,  and  Girgis  Hanna,  Spiro  Toma 
and  Awad  Hanna,  as  deacons.  On  the  15th  of  February, 
these  persons  were  solemnly  set  apart  to  their  respective 
offices  by  prayer  and  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  presby- 
tery, Drs.  Dales  and  Prestley  assisting.  Thus  the  first 
native  congregation  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Egypt  was  organized  in  faith  and  hope.  It  was  the  day  of 
small  things,  but  it  was  the  beginning  of  an  institution  that 
has  grown  and  extended  under  the  blessing  of  God,  and  the 
quickening  power  of  His  Spirit. 

To  this  year  also  must  be  attributed  the  formal  initiation 
of  a  class  for  the  training  of  young  men  for  Christian  work 
in  Egypt.  Presbytery,  at  its  meeting  in  Cairo,  February 
15,  1863,  passed  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions  : 

"  Whereas,  there  are  now  six  individuals  in  full  com- 
munion with  us  who  desire  to  study  theology,  and  who  are 
judged  by  presbytery  fit  persons  to  be  admitted  to  that  study  ; 
and,  whereas,  the  support  of  four  of  these  persons; — three 
of  them  being  ex-priests — is  provided  for  independently  of 
the  mission,  and  the  other  two  being  partially  employed  by 
the  mission,  have  left  to  them  sufficient  time  for  this  pur- 
suit ;  and,  whereas,  presbytery  judges  it  of  great  importance 
that  a  commencement  should  be  made  in  this  work,  and  thus 
a  nucleus  be  formed  to  whicli  others  may  come  for  whose 
support  provision  may  be  made  by  the  Board,  or  otherwise  ; 
therefore. 

Resolved,  i.  That  the  missionaries  at  Cairo  be  directed 
to  organize  at  once  these  classes,  and  make  arrangements 
for  giving  lessons  in  systematic  and  pastoral  theology  and 
Church  history. 

Resolved,  2.  That  the  teachers  in  the  boys'  school, 
who  are  also  members  of  the  Church,  be  encouraged  as  far 
as  this  present  arrangement  will  permit  to  attend  these  lee- 


IN  Egypt.  157 

tures,  in  order  the  better  to  prepare  them  for  their  duties  in 
the  school. 

Resolved,  3.  That,  in  conducting  these  exercises, 
reference  be  also  had  to  the  preparation  of  material  for  pub- 
lication, in  order  to  meet  the  great  and' increasing  demand 
for  a  sound  literature. 

Resolved,  4.  That  Rev.  G.  Lansing  be  directed  to 
make  application  to  the  American  Tract  Society  for  a  grant 
of  money  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  publication  of  such 
of  their  works  as  may  be  translated,  and  to  supplement  any 
appropriation  that  may  be  made  by  our  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  or  Board  of  Publication  for  the  purpose." 

It  appears  from  these  resolutions,  that  the  mission  not 
only  contemplated  the  institution  of  a  class  for  preparing 
young  men  for  the  Lord's  work,  but  also  means  by  which 
useful  literature  could  be  secured  to  meet  the  increasing 
demand  for  evangelical  reading  matter.  At  the  same  meet- 
ing it  was  resolved  to  purchase  another  and  smaller  boat  for 
the  distribution  of  books  by  the  means  of  the  Nile  and  the 
canals,  since  the  "Ibis"  was  too  large  to  enter  the  canals, 
and  cost  too  much  to  run  her.  In  this  way  the  mission  was 
preparing  for  widening  and  extending  its  agressive  work  in 
obedience  to  the  Master's  command,  to  "  Go,  and  preach  the 
Gospel  to  every  creature." 

In  the  month  of  May  Mr.  Lansing  visited  the  Delta  on 
the  Damietta  branch  of  the  Nile,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Awad 
Hanna,  and  found  an  open  door  for  the  distribution  of  relig- 
ious books,  and  conversations  with  the  people  on  Gospel 
truth,  their  obligation  to  receive  and  obey  it.  It  was  on 
this  tour  they  visited  Sitt  Damienna — "famous  throughout 
Egypt  for  the  visions  of  celestial  riders  that  are  to  be  seen 
within  its  doors,  and  the  wonderful  cures  from  demoniacal 
possessions  effected  within  its  walls  " — and,  although  unable 
to  remain  until  the  end  of  the  annual  festival  held  there, 
he  remained  a  sufficient  time  to  enable  him  to  detect  and  to 
"threaten  the  priests  with  a  public  exposure  of  the  lying 
signs  and  wonders  by  which  the  temple  of  the  baptized 
heathen  goddess  Diana  is  kept  up,  and  the  fetters  of  a 
debasing  superstition  are  riveted  upon  generation  after  gener- 


158  The  American  Mission 

ation  of  an  ignorant  and  credulous  people."  Mr.  Awad,  how- 
ever, entreated  him  not  to  make  a  public  exposure  of  the 
imposture  until  he  had  got  all  his  books  disposed  of.  "  Had 
the  people  found  next  day,"  writes  Mr.  Lansing  in  his 
"  Egypt's  Princes,"  "that  their  shadowy  gods  had  disap- 
peared, there  would  have  been  found  a  crowd  like  that  of 
Ephesus  to  cry  out  by  the  hour  '  Great  is  Damienna,  pro- 
tectress of  the  two  seas  and  the  two  lands.'  And  had  it 
become  known  that  Awad  and  I  had  spirited  away  the 
shadows  by  closing  the  aperature  which  acted  like  a  camera 
obscura,  they  would  have  been  ready  to  tear  us  in  pieces." 

Mr.  Lansing's  threat  to  expose  the  fraud  stirred  up  the 
Patriarch  and  the  bishop  of  Cairo,  who  were  present  at  the 
festival,  to  put  a  stop  to  the  further  sale  of  books.  Awad 
went  to  the  tent  next  morning  with  just  apprehensions  as  to 
the  reception  which  he  and  his  would  meet  with  from  Abuna 
Makar  (the  abbot)  and  his  friends.  He  opened  and  arranged 
his  wares,  but  no  one  came  to  purchase.  He  waited,  still 
no  one  came.  Awad,  however,  whose  wonderful  tact  had 
proved  him  equal  to  any  emergency  of  this  kind,  easily 
understood  that  the  execution  of  Mr.  Lansing's  threat  would 
be  worse  for  the  priests  than  the  sale  of  his  books.  Accord- 
ingly, he  shut  his  tent  and  went  directly  to  the  Patriarch, 
and  asked  him  why  he  had  prohibited  the  people  from  buy- 
ing books.  The  Patriarch  called  God  to  witness  that  he  had 
done  no  such  thing ;  but  Awad  insisted  that  he  must  have 
done  so,  as  all  the  people  had  suddenly  stopped  buying. 
Dreading  an  exposure  of  their  lucrative  imposture,  the 
Patriarch,  accompanied  by  the  bishop  of  Cairo,  went  down 
to  Awad's  tent,  each  of  them  bought  a  Bible,  and  paid  the 
price  before  all  the  people,  and  holding  them  up  said,  "  See, 
we  have  bought  books;  come  all  of  you  and  buy."  There 
was  a  rush  for  the  book  stall  forthwith.  All  the  Bibles  and 
Testaments  on  hand,  and  most  of  the  other  books,  were 
sold. 

Other  trips  were  made  in  the  new  boat,  "  The  Morning 
Star,"   to  upper  Egypt,  so  that  the  whole  sales   from  the 


IN  Egypt.  159 

boats,  the  shops,  and  colporteurs  during  1863,  were  5,794,  at 
$1,464.  Thus  the  Word  of  God  was  published  abroad 
through  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  carrying  light,  and  joy,  and 
peace  to  many  of  its  inhabitants,  in  accordance  with  what 
has  been  predicted,  "  The  Word  of  the  Lord  shall  have  free 
course,  and  be  glorified." 

It  was  during  this  year,  too,  that  Bamba  Muller  made  a 
public  confession  of  her  faith  in  Christ,  and  sat  for  the  first 
time  at  the  Lord's  table  to  commemorate  the  death  of  her 
Saviour,  whom  she  so  dearly  loved — a  love  which  never 
grew  less  even  when  transferred  from  her  humble  little 
room  in  the  Ezbakiyah,  Cairo,  to  the  palace  of  a  prince  in 
England,  where  she  sat  as  princess  at  her  own  table  and 
commanded  a  retinue  of  servants.  One  of  the  missionaries 
in  writing  to  the  secretary  of  the  Board  (about  the  commun- 
ion season  at  which  she  was  received)  says  : 

"  We  found  on  examination  that  for  more  than  a  year 
she  had  been  under  serious  impressions,  and  that  after 
spending  several  months  under  deep  conviction  of  sin  she 
had  at  last  given  herself  wholly  up  to  Jesus,  and  found 
peace  ;  and  that  ever  since  then  she  has  been  teaching  her 
mother  and  praying  with  her  morning  and  evening ;  now  her 
only  wish  was  to  be  used  by  Him  in  bringing  her,  all  her  fel- 
low teachers  and  pupils  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the 
truth.  On  Sabbath  morning  she  and  three  young  men  were 
publicly  admitted  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Church.  There 
were  wet  eyes  that  morning  among  her  female  companions. 
One  of  the  verses  read  at  the  opening  of  the  service 
(Romans  8:13,  first  clause)  went  as  an  arrow  to  the  heart 
of  one  of  the  teachers,  who  had  hitherto  been  trusting  in  her 
own  piety  and  prayers,  rather  than  in  Jesus.  Helena,  one 
of  Miss  Hart's  teachers,  wept  by  her  side,  and  several  others 
seemed  deeply  impressed.  These  were  called  together  after 
service  was  over,  and  solemnly  urged  to  give  themselves  at 
once  to  Jesus.  After  passing  several  days  and  nights  in  deep 
conviction  of  sin,  first  one,  then  another,  and  then  a  third, 
were  enabled  to  say  that  they  had  found  Him  ;  and  now  they 
meet  together  daily  during  the  intermission  for  prayer  along 
with  several  of  the  girls  who  are  also  seeking  the  Saviour." 

It  was  during  the  latter  part  of  1863,  also,  that  several 
evening  meetings  were   started   for    prayer  and  the  study 


i6o  The  American  Mission 

of  the  Bible,  both  in  the  Ezbakiyah  and  the  Haret-es-Sakkain 
quarters  of  the  city.  And  the  Copts,  on  the  principle  of 
starting  one  fire  to  put  out  another,  opened  a  meeting  in  the 
patriarchate,  to  prevent  those  wishing  to  study  the  Bible 
from  attending  the  Protestant  meetings.  Several  of  our 
prominent  members  thought  best  to  attend  it ;  and  when 
called  upon  would  express  their  views  or  lead  in  prayer, 
until  on  account  of  the  occurrence  of  warm  discussions,  and 
the  evident  spread  of  the  truth,  the  meeting  was  broken  up. 
An  evening  class  was  organized  by  the  missionaries  for  the 
regular  study  of  the  Scriptures,  and  this  was  practically, 
though  not  formally,  the  beginning  of  tlie  theological  class 
ordered  by  presbytery. 

This  was  the  year  of  the  terrible  murrain  among  the  cattle 
in  Egypt.  It  is  said  that  about  300,000  cattle  died.  Many 
of  these  were  thrown  into  the  Nile  and  the  canals,  polluting 
the  water,  and  causing  widespread  sickness  in  the  land,  and 
preparing  the  conditions  necessary  for  the  terrible  visitation 
of  cholera  in  1865.  At  one  time  the  whole  coast  of  the  Med- 
iterranean, in  the  region  of  Damietta  and  Rosetta,  where 
the  Nile  flows  into  the  sea,  was  piled  up  with  carcasses  of 
cattle  in  all  stages  of  putrefaction. 


(U 


IN  EGYPT.  l6l 


CHAPTER  X. 

1864— The  missionaries  on  the  ground  at  beginning  of  1864— Writer  alone 
in  Alexandria— Purchase  of  Alexandria  premises— Prayer-meetings  in  the 
girls'  school,  Cairo— Efforts  of  the  Coptic  clergy  to  keep  girls  away  from  our 
schools— The  story  of  Bamba's  courtship  and  marriage  with  his  highness, 
Dhulup  Singh— His  gift  of  $5,000  and  promise  of  $2,500  annually— Work  on 
Nile  in  new  small  boat— Tour  of  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Ewing  in  "  Ibis"  to  Aswan— 
And  of  Mr.  Hogg  to  Faiyum— Formal  opening  of  the  theological  seminary. 

At  the  beginning  of  tlie  year  Revs.  Barnett,  Lansing, 
McCague,  and  families,. were  all  in  America,  so  that  the  only 
missionaries  on  the  field  were  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Watson  and 
Miss  McKown,  in  Alexandria;  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Hogg,  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  Ewing,  Misses  Dales  and  Hart,  in  Cairo:  a  small 
force,  considering  the  two  cities  in  which  they  labored,  and 
the  length  of  the  valley  in  which  they  were  seeking  to 
extend  the  work.  The  force  was  further  reduced  by  the 
departure  of  Miss  Hart  for  England  on  March  24,  on  account 
of  ill-health.  She  took  with  her  Mary  Lizzie  Hogg,  the  eld- 
est daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hogg.  But  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lansing  returned  to  the  work  on  April  20.  The  health  of 
the  missionaries  was  better  than  usual  all  the  year,  although 
nearly  all  were  laid  aside  at  one  time  or  another,  and  the 
year  was  one  during  which  much  sickness  prevailed  among 
the  natives. 

The  work  at  Alexandria  continued  as  usual,  with  a 
smaller  attendance  at  both  schools,  and  a  larger  attendance 
at  the  Arabic  services,  which  were  now  conducted  entirely 
by  the  writer,  Father  Makhiel  having  been  removed  to 
Cairo  early  in  the  year,  and  used  as  a  means  of  gathering 
the  people  to  the  services,  visiting  the  sick,  and  preaching 
occasionally  when  the  missionaries  were  busy.  One  of  the 
Cairo   missionaries  was  accustomed  to  visit  Alexandria  at 


i62  The  American  Mission 

the  communion  season.  Two  new  members  were  added  in 
Alexandria  during  the  year.  The  most  interesting  item  con- 
nected with  the  Alexandria  station  was  the  purchase  of  the 
premises  there  for  the  sum  of  ^16,500.  The  location  was 
central  to  the  natives,  but  the  premises  are  rather  contracted, 
the  streets  around  it  narrow  and  the  approaches  to  it 
unpleasant,  but  at  the  time  there  did  not  seem  to  be  any- 
thing else  available  at  a  reasonable  price.  The  constant 
annoyance  from  the  renting  of  houses  made  the  missionaries 
glad  to  get  anything  that  would  be  at  all  suitable  and  would 
be  a  permanent  home.  It  did  good  service  for  many  years, 
but  it  is  desirable  to  find  a  better  position  now,  and  more 
commodious  rooms,  both  for  the  health  of  the  workers  and 
the  interests  of  the  work  on  evangelistic  and  educational 
lines.  Alexandria,  with  its  mixed  population,  many  of  the 
lowest  classes  of  southern  Europe,  and  most  ignorant,  fana- 
tical Muslims,  is  a  very  difficult  field,  and  needs  special 
facilities  fur  reaching  and  influencing  the  people. 

At  Cairo,  the  services  were  well  attended,  and  there 
were  added  to  the  membership  of  the  Church  fourteen,  nine 
of  whom  were  females.  This  large  accession  of  females 
was  chiefly  due  to  a  very  interesting  religious  movement  in 
the  girls'  school,  begun  in  1863  and  continued  for  some  time 
in  1864  Meetings  for  prayer  and  conference  were  held  at 
which  the  teachers  and  others  took  part.  Miss  Dales,  under 
whose  direction  these  were  held,  often  expressed  her  sur- 
prise at  the  earnest  and  simple  prayers  offered,  and  remarked 
the  facility  with  which  they  expressed  themselves  in  prayer, 
Bamba  and  her  mother  being  specially  mentioned.  Per- 
sistent efforts  were  made  by  the  priests  in  several  cases  to 
prevent  the  girls  and  young  women  from  attending  school 
or  religious  meetings,  and  in  some  instances  these  succeeded 
only  to©  well,  on  account  of  the  threats  of  these  religious 
leaders  to  use  their  influence  against  the  girls  on  occasions  of 
proposals  of  marriage,  a  subject  on  which  the  mothers  feel 
deeply,  as  early  marriages  are  greatly  desired,  and  the  dis- 
grace of  being  unmarried  is  universally  feared.    The  parents, 


IN  EGYPT.  163 

then,  are  always  anxious  to  have  their  daughters  married, 
and  often  depend  on  the  priests  for  furthering  their  efforts  to 
carry  out  their  plans,  and  fear  greatly  the  active  opposition 
of  the  priests  in  this  matter. 

The  sales  of  books  in  Cairo  during  the  year  were  4,275 
volumes  at  ^1,057.50. 

The  great  event  in  the  history  of  the  mission  for  1864 
was  the  espousal  and  marriage  of  Bamba  to  his  highness  the 
Maharajah  Dhulup  Singh.  The  prince  was  the  son  of  the 
renowned  Runjit  Singh,  late  king  of  the  Punjab  in  northern 
India,  and  also  heir  to  the  throne  of  his  father.  He  was  at 
the  date  of  his  visit  to  Cairo,  passing  a  short  time  in  Egypt 
on  his  way  to  India  to  consign  the  body  of  his  deceased 
mother  to  her  friends,  to  be  buried  according  to  the  rites  of 
the  religion  in  which  she  lived  and  died,  this  being  her  dying 
request.  He,  himself,  was  a  Christian,  having  lived  in 
England  since  his  boyhood.  He  had  a  liberal  pension  from 
the  English  government,  and  had  estates  both  in  England 
and  Scotland.  Though  not  permitted  to  return  to  the  Pun- 
jab, he  was  treated  with  the  honors  of  royalty  when  in 
India,  and  ranked  next  to  the  royal  family  in  England,  being 
a  particular  favorite  with  her  majesty,  Queen  Victoria.  He 
called  at  the  mission  house  in  Cairo  on  the  loth  of  February, 
and  made  many  inquiries  about  the  state  of  the  mission,  its 
various  operations,  and  especially  its  schools,  from  which 
the  missionaries  gathered  that  he  was  very  much  interested 
in  missions.  Two  days  later  he  made  another  visit,  and 
spent  nearly  a  whole  forenoon  in  the  schools,  and  before  he 
left  he  presented  $100,  to  be  spent  in  providing  prizes  for  the 
most  deserving  among  the  children.  "  From  the  first,"  says 
one  of  the  missionaries  in  a  letter  written  in  September, 
1864,  "we  were  much  struck  with  his  modesty,  simplicity 
and  humility,  and  the  genial,  loving,  genuine  tone  of  his 
Christian  character.  We  subsequently  learned  from  himself 
that  though  he  broke  caste  when  but  six  years  of  age,  yet  it 
was  only  about  three  years  ago  that  he  was  truly  converted, 
under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Jay,  an  evangelical  clergyman  of 
the  Church  of  England," 


jg.  THE   AMERICAN  MISSION 

A  few  days  after  the  second  visit  he  made  a  third  to  the 
mission,  and  spent  an  hour  and  a  half  -  ^^e  gi''^/*°°'' 
wlrich  was  under  the  management  of  M.ss  M";    "'^  tal'<«i 
freely  with  her,  and  asked  many  questions  about  the  mstruc 
tion  given  to  the  pupils  and  the  aid  she  received  from  the 
r^ative  teachers.     On  this  visit  he  had  the  first  sight  of 
B::ba,:ho  from  her  sweet  face  quiet,  di.nifie^  manner 
always   attracted  the  attention  of  everyone.     Miss  Dales 
informed  him  that  she  was  the  first,  and  only  one,  from  the 
schools  who  had  up  to  that  time  made  a  public  profession  of 
he       ust  in  Jesus  for  salvation,  and  had  been  admitted  to 
membership  in  the  Church.    Before  leaving  that  day  he  pre- 
sented $250  for  the  general  purposes  of  the  mission,  and  .t 
was  agfeed  that    the   Sioo  should  be  appropriated  to  a 
Hbrary  for  the  use  of  the  pupils.     He  bought  he  necessary 
books  and  secured  from  the  missionaries  a  teacher  to  aid  him 
in  the  study  of  Arabic,  as  he  said  that  he  thought  of  taking 
a  house  in  Cairo,  and  making  it  his  headquarters  in  the 
win  "season  hereafter.     For  about  a  week  he  was  absent 
at  the  Pyramids,  and  on  his  return  he  paid  us  several  visits, 
droppiirjin  as  an   occasional  visitor,  and  having  conver- 
sations on  general  as  well  as  religious  topics. 

He  generally  wore  European  dress,   but  occasiona  ly 
came  in  half  Indian  costume,  profusely  adorned  with  gold 
diamonds,  and  other  jewels.     "  On  Sabbath,  Februa  y  28, 
he  came    any.  dressed  in  Indian  style,  to  attend  our  religion 
services,  and':vas  present  at  Miss  Dales'  Sabbath  schooWmd 
staved  during  the  whole  of  the  morning  service.     One  even 
n/soon  after  he  sent  a  note  to  Mr.  Hogg,  the  content   of 
which  overwl,elmed  us  with  mingled  feelings  of  ple-me 
astonishment,   and  perplexity.     The  ^"^stance  of    it  was 
briefly   this,  that  he  had  come  over  with  the  mtention  o 
havin.  a  private  conversation  with  Mr.  Hogg,  but  had  not 
found  the  opportunity.     His  intention  in  this  was  to  ask  the 
advice  of  the  missionaries  in  the  matter  of  getting  a  wife 
He    tated  that  from  his  peculiar  position  he  was  liable  to 
many  temptations  as  a  young  unmarried  man,  and  he  had 


IN  Egypt.  165 

determined,  therefore,  to  marry,  and  had  been  making  it  for 
some  time  past  a  matter  of  special  prayer  that  the  Lord 
would  raise  him  up  a  suitable  wife,  for  he  had  determined  to 
marry  in  the  Lord.  Her  majesty  Queen  Victoria  had  advised 
him  to  marry  an  Indian  princess,  who  had  been  educated  in 
England,  but  he  wished  one  who  was  less  acquainted  with 
the  gaieties  and  frivolities  of  fashionable  aristocratic  life. 
His  preference  was  decidedly  for  an  Oriental,  and  as  he 
knew  of  no  lady  of  rank  in  India  who  had  been  converted 
to  the  truth  he  had  concluded  to  inquire  in  Egypt  if  haply 
there  might  be  one  found  here  whom  the  Lord  had  been 
preparing  for  him  in  special  answer  to  his  prayer.  Rank 
and  position  in  life  were  nothing  to  him;  what  he  desired  was 
a  voung  girl  who  loved  the  Lord  in  sincerity  and  in  truth. 

The  letter  was  scarcely  read  before  Bamba  at  once 
occurred  to  our  minds,  as  not  merely  the  only  one  who  could 
be  proposed  to  his  highness — she  being  our  only  young 
female  converted  at  the  time — but  as  also  uniting  in  herself 
all  the  qualifications  which  the  prince  desired  in  his  future 
wife.  We  felt,  however,  very  heavily  the  responsibility  of 
being  in  any  way  instrumental  in  transplanting  a  young, 
tender  flower  like  this  from  its  native  soil,  in  which  it  was 
growing  in  vigor  and  beauty  every  day,  to  a  region  and 
climate  where  it  might  pine  away  and  die  from  exposure  to 
withering  blasts,  and  the  want  of  the  careful  culture  and 
genial  atmosphere  which  in  its  infancy  it  had  been  fos- 
tered. The  tone  of  the  Prince's  note,  however,  strength- 
ened the  deep  impression  we  had  formed  of  his  high  Chris- 
tian character ;  and  the  prayerful  attitude  in  which  he 
seemed  to  have  been  looking,  and  still  looked,  on  the  whole 
subject  made  us  thankful  that  the  matter  was  of  the  Lord, 
and  we  believed  that  he  would  guide  us,  and  all  concerned, 
to  do  what  in  the  end  would  most  advance  His  glory. 

Mr.  Hogg,  therefore,  after  consultation  with  Mr.  Ewing 
went  over  to  the  prince's,  and  had  a  long  conversation  with 
him,  during  which  he  repeated  what  he  had  said  in  his  note 
about  his  anxiety  to  secure  a  helpmeet  who  could  both  sym- 


i66  The  American  Mission 

pathize  and  co-operate  with  him  in  all  good  works.  This 
visit  to  the  East,  he  said,  was  not  of  his  own  seeking ;  he 
did  not  know  when  he  might  have  another  opportunit)' ;  if 
he  was  to  find  a  wife  in  the  Orient,  now  was  his  chance. 
For  various  reasons  he  would  prefer  that  she  should  be  a 
native  of  Egypt.  He,  of  course,  expected  he  would  have 
to  train  her  for  her  new  position,  but  w  ith  youth  on  her 
side,  this  would  be  easy,  and  with  grace  in  her  heart  she 
would  not  spoil  in  the  training.  Bamba  was  then  mentioned, 
and  Mr.  Hogg  told  him  she  was  a  girl  of  very  pleasing  exter- 
ior, graceful,  winning  manners,  of  the  most  transparent 
simplicity,  and  above  all  a  true,  devoted  Christian.  We 
told  him  also  of  her  parentage,  of  her  humble  mode  of  life 
with  her  Abyssinian  mother,  that  she  had  a  very  limited 
education  except  in  the  great  truth  of  our  holy  religion. 
The  prince  remembered  well  having  seen  her,  and  he  had 
been  very  much  taken  with  her  personal  appearance,  and 
said  that  as  far  as  the  circumstances  of  her  birth  were  con- 
cerned he  would  count  that  nothing  if  in  every  other  way 
she  commended  herself  to  us  as  a  truly  Christian  girl.  He 
then  said  that  he  had  to  leave  for  Suez  probably  early  in 
the  morning,  and  that  he  hoped  during  his  absence  we  would 
pray  for  him,  and  that  when  he  returned  we  would  be  pre- 
pared to  advise  him  how  to  proceed  in  the  matter. 

Next  morning,  however,  came  a  telegram  announcing 
that  the  time  of  the  departure  of  his  steamer  was  not  yet 
certain,  as  it  had  not  arrived.  He  called  at  the  mission 
house,  and  stated  tiiat  having  thought  and  prayed  much 
over  the  matter  during  the  past  night,  he  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  in  it,  and  he  was 
ready  at  once  to  make  proposals.  After  Mr.  Hogg  had  knelt 
with  him  at  his  request,  and  implored  the  spiritual  guidance 
of  God  in  the  matter,  Miss  Dales  was  deputed  to  make  the 
proposal  to  Bamba.  She  received  it  with  the  utmost  com- 
posure, but  said  that  she  wished  to  devote  her  life  to  God  in 
the  school,  like  Miss  Dales,  and  was  supremely  happy  in  His 
service  in  the  school.     However,  on  being  pressed  to  think 


IN  Egypt.  167 

of  it  as  a  matter  of  serious  import,  she  then  wished  to  refer 
the  matter  to  her  father  and  mother.  We  strongly  endorsed 
this  idea.  This  was  to  be  expected,  as  the  father  has  in 
the  East  the  sole  right  to  give  the  final  decision  as  to  the 
disposal  of  his  daughter.  The  father,  being  in  Alexandria, 
could  not  be  consulted  at  once,  so  the  prince,  having  to  em- 
bark that  afternoon  for  India,  left  the  matter  to  be  settled  in 
his  absence,  the  conclusion  to  be  transmitted  to  him  by  the 
first  opportunity.  He  did  not  go,  however,  without  leaving 
for  her  a  very  handsome  bracelet  and  ring,  which  he  desired 
she  should  wear  for  his  sake,  even  though  she  should  even- 
tually decide  not  to  accept  his  offer.  The  father,  on  being 
informed  of  the  matter  in  all  its  details,  and  consulted  as  to 
his  wishes,  replied  that  she  was  free  to  judge  for  herself  as 
to  the  answer  to  be  given  to  the  prince's  proposal. 

This  reply  left  her  in  a  very  trying  position,  especially 
considering  her  limited  knowledge  of  the  world  and  of 
the  sphere  of  Christian  duty.  She  knew  nothing  up  to  that 
time  of  any  other  sphere  of  work  for  Christ,  but  the  school 
in  which  she  herself  had  learned  the  way  of  salvation. 
The  truth  that  there  are  other  and  larger  spheres  of  useful- 
ness never  occurred  to  her  mind.  She  had  never  mingled  in 
European  society,  nor  even  native  society.  From  her  little 
room  where  she  lived  with  her  mother  to  the  school  in  the 
morning  and  back  again  in  the  evening,  this  was  her  daily  life. 
Both  Miss  Dales  and  Miss  Hart  tried  to  enlarge  her  ideas  of 
the  bounds  and  fields  of  Christian  usefulness,  and  gave  her 
information  of  the  various  ways  and  means  in  high,  middle, 
and  humble  life  of  serving  the  Master,  that  she  might  be  in 
a  position  to  decide  the  question  of  duty  in  an  intelligent 
manner.  Mr.  Hogg  drew  out  for  her  in  her  own  language  at 
length  the  ways  by  which  the  rich  and  the  poor  could  serve 
the  Lord  in  their  several  spheres,  showing  her  how  it  was 
her  duty  at  all  hazards  to  live  a  life  of  faith  and  good  works. 
This  much  was  clear,  for  the  Word  of  God  enjoined  it. 
Yet,  while  Jesus  ordered  her  to  serve  Him,  He  had  not  told 
her  that  she  must  remain  in  any  particular  sphere  in  order 


i68  The  American  Mission 

to  be  able  to  serve  Him.  It  was,  therefore,  her  duty  to  say 
Hke  Paul,  "Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  do?"  When 
once  a  sphere  of  usefulness  had  been  found  for  her  she  should 
remain  in  it  till  called  by  God  to  leave  it.  God  addressed 
his  people  in  various  ways — in  His  word  and  in  His  provi- 
dence. She  would  learn  from  the  Word  of  God  that  when 
an  opening  occurred  by  which  she  could  become  a  means  of 
doing  greater  good  to  the  world  and  forwarding  more  effec- 
tually the  cause  of  Christ,  that  should  be  regarded  as  a  call 
from  God  for  her  to  enter  by  it,  unless  there  should  be 
serious  objections  in  the  way,  and  God's  providence  seemed 
to  point  in  another  direction.  Could  she  discern  any  such 
counter-current,  or  think  of  any  serious  objections.?  If  she 
could,  let  her  indicate  them,  and  balance  them  in  her  own 
mind,  according  as  God  might  give  her  grace  to  do  so  impar- 
tially. If  she  could  not  mention  any,  then  let  her  look  at 
the  course  of  providence  as  indicated  in  the  history  of  the 
prince,  and  also  in  her  own,  and  let  this  help  to  strengthen  any 
convictions  that  might  have  begun  to  dawn  upon  her  mind. 
A  few  of  the  more  striking  providences  were  mentioned,  and 
then  when  the  matter  was  laid  plainly  before  her  she  was 
asked  to  take  her  leisure,  and  pray  over  it  again  and  again 
until  the  Lord  sent  light.  After  four  days  and  nights  of 
anxious  thought,  and  almost  constant  prayer,  light  broke  in 
upon  the  darkness.  She  felt  the  call  was  from  the  Lord, 
and  she  declared  herself  willing  to  obey  it,  and  wrote  the 
following  note  to  her  father,  which  translated  reads  thus  : 

' '  To  my  beloved  and  revered  father,  greeting !  I  wished 
at  first  that  the  answer  should  be  given  by  yourself  about 
this  matter,  and  when  you  referred  the  thing  wholly  to  my- 
self, I  was  in  darkness  and  did  not  know  what  to  do,  on  ac- 
count of  my  ignorance  and  youth.  So  I  committed  the  matter 
and  all  my  anxieties  to  God,  that  he  might  direct  me  and 
make  his  will  evident  to  me,  for  1  did  not  wish  to  follow 
mine  own.  After  praying  for  a  long  time,  waiting  for  an 
answer  to  my  petitions,  the  light  of  His  countenance  dawned 
upon  me,  and  it  has  now  become  clear  to  me  that  it  is  His 
will  that  I  should  leave  the  school  and  serve  Him  in  tliis  new 
position,  and  if  it  please  God,  I  wish  to  live  for  Christ  and 


**'■*'     \ 


IN  Egypt.  i6g 

glorify  His  name  all  the  days  of  my  life,  for  He  loves  me, 
and  He  even  died  for  me.  This  I  send  with  many  salaams, 
and  love  to  you  and  all  who  love  you,  and  that  the  Lord  may 
be  with  you  forever,  is  the  earnest  prayer  of  your  loving 
daughter. 

"  Bamba. 

"  Cairo,  March  3,  1864." 

In  the  meantime,  while  this  was  going  on,  the  following 
letter  was  received  from  the  prince,  bearing  date  Suez,  Feb- 
ruary 29,  1864: 

"  Dear  Mr.  Hogg :  I  send  you  with  this  note  a  ring  for 
Bamba,  which  kindly  make  over  to  her  for  me,  and  tell  her 
it  will  give  me  very  much  pleasure  if  she  will  always  wear 
both  the  presents  I  have  sent  her,  whether  we  should  be 
married  together  or  not.  Kindly  tell  her  that  she  must  pray 
to  God  for  guidance,  and  entirely  commit  herself  to  Him, 
believing  that  'all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  God,'  and  He  who  loved  her,  and  gave  Himself  a  ran- 
som for  her,  will  guide  her  in  the  right  path.  She  does  not 
know  how  much  more  anxious  I  am  to  possess  her  now  since 
I  heard  yesterday  of  her  determination  to  be  entirely  led  by 
Him,  and  to  live  for  His  glory  only.  I  pray  God  that  if  it  be 
His  will  her  father  may  give  his  consent.  I  think  (should 
everything  go  on  all  right)  that  Bamba  should  have  one  or 
two  maid-servants,  in  order  that  she  may  learn  to  give  her 
own  orders  about  different  things  about  herself,  for  should 
she  become  my  wife,  she  will  not  very  well  know  how  to 
get  on  at  first,  as  1  keep  a  large  number  of  servants,  and  she 
must  behave  herself  like  a  proper  mistress  before  them. 

"  Thanking  you  all  for  the  kind  interest  you  take  in  the 
matter, 

"  I  remain  very  truly  yours, 

"  Dhulup  Singh." 

As  soon  as  Bamba  had  given  her  consent,  Mr.  Hogg 
communicated  the  information  by  letter  to  his  highness,  in 
Bombay,  and  received  in  reply  the  following  letter : 

"BOMBAY,  March  28,  1864. 

"  Dear  Mr.  Hogg  :  Many  thanks  for  your  kind,  long  let- 
ter, giving  me  an  account  of  what  occurred  since  your  de- 
parture, and  the  happy  and  most  welcome  news.  I  feel 
thankful  to  God  for  this  His  fresh  act  of  loving-kindness  and 
mercy  to  me.  The  Lord  knew  my  want,  and  has  supplied 
it  in  His  own  good  way  and  time.     I  have  been  praying  now 


170  The  American  Mission 

tor  a  long  time  that  I  may  be  blessed  with  a  Christian  wife, 
and  the  Lord  has  given  me  the  desire  of  my  heart.  It  is 
marvelous  how  everything  connected  with  the  affair  has 
gone  on,  and  how  Bamba's  father  had  been  led  to  fulfill  his 
long-neglected  duties  towards  his  child.  May  the  Lord  give 
him  grace  to  take  the  Lord  Jesus,  as  his  daughter  does.  I 
thank  you  most  sincerely  for  the  kind  interest  and  the 
trouble  you  have  taken  about  this  affair,  and  as  long  as  I 
live  that  shall  be  a  debt  of  gratitude  that  I  owe  you. 

"  You,  and  Miss  Dales,  have  been  acting  in  such  a  way 
that  it  is  useless  for  me  to  say  as  to  how  Bamba's  education, 
etc.,  should  be  carried  on  till  my  arrival.  I  think  it  desirable 
that  she  should  learn  English  and  music,  and  to  give  her  own 
orders.  Do  you  not  think  it  would  be  rather  a  good  thing 
that  she  should  go  out  driving  a  little,  so  that  she  may  be 
accustomed  to  going  unveiled  .''  But  her  own  feelings  should 
be  consulted  as  to  this.  I  am  having  a  pair  of  earrings  made 
for  Bamba,  which  I  hope  she  will  be  able  to  wear.  I  think 
she  should  wear  a  half  Eastern  and  half  Western  dress,  like 
myself.  This  I  will  be  able  to  arrange  later,  when  I  come. 
Pray  tell  Bamba's  father  that  it  is  very  kind  of  him  to  desire 
to  pay  all  expenses  connected  with  her  education,  etc.,  but 
that  1  shall  be  equally  happy  to  do  the  same.  I  must  con- 
clude, as  I  have  very  little  time  more  to  write  to  Miss  Dales 
and  Bamba  herself.     Therefore,  again  thanking  you, 

"  I  remain  yours  very  truly  and  gratefully, 

"Dhulup  Singh." 

Immediately  on  Bamba's  decision  being  made,  prepara- 
tions for  her  future  position  had  to  be  begun  and  carried  on 
with  tact  and  vigor.  As  1  have  said,  she  had  been  brought 
up  in  a  very  humble  way,  though  never  in  want  of  sufficient 
food,  clotiiing  and  other  comforts.  Her  mode  of  life  had 
been  entirely  in  the  native  style.  The  room  in  which  she 
lived  with  her  mother,  though  small,  was  neat  and  clean, 
and  arranged  with  tact.  Her  food  was  prepared  by  her 
mother  and  eaten  in  the  native  style,  sitting  on  a  mat,  or 
rug,  at  a  low  table  ;  so  that  she  was  entirely  unaccustomed 
to  sit  on  a  chair  at  table  or  use  a  knife  and  fork.  Now  she 
had  to  be  prepared  to  sit  down  with  princes,  and  sit  at  the 
head  of  her  own  table  and  give  orders  in  their  presence.  To 
begin  the  work  of  training  her  was  now  the  duty  of  the 


IN  Egypt.  171 

missionaries.  She  and  her  mother  were  brought  to  the  mis- 
sion liouse,  and  occupied  one  of  the  empty  rooms  in  Mr. 
Lansing's  house.  Mrs.  Hogg  wrote  two  months  after  the 
marriage,  saying  : 

"  We  ladies  then  had  to  set  about  getting  her  wardrobe 
stocked,  for  we  thought  that  she  ought  at  once  get  a  Frani< 
outfit,  so  that  she  might  know  how  to  wear  such  things,  and  to 
move  gracefully,  which  she  could  not  well  do  in  her  native 
costume.  What  could  be  bought  ready-made  was  procured, 
but  dresses  had  to  be  sent  to  a  dressmaker  and  fitted,  so  that 
after  two  months  have  elapsed  she  has  only  got  a  limited 
supply  of  dresses,  although  we  did  all  we  could  to  hurry  up 
matters.  Meanwhile  we  all  tried  to  help  her  on  in  studying 
English.  Mr.  Ewing  gave  her  writing  lessons,  and  I  began 
her  with  music.  Table  linen  and  all  other  necessary  things 
having  been  procured,  a  servant  was  engaged,  and  Miss 
Dales  and  she  began  housekeeping.  She,  of  course,  had  a 
great  deal  to  learn,  how  to  sit,  how  to  eat,  how  to  handle  her 
knife  and  fork,  etc.,  and  many  an  awkward  thing  happened 
before  she  got  accustomed  to  Frank  ways.  Still,  all  things 
considered,  it  was  wonderful  how  easily  and  naturally  she 
moved  about.  Her  health,  however,  gave  way,  and  she  was 
confined  to  bed  a  week  with  an  attack  of  jaundice,  and 
as  she  did  not  seem  to  regain  her  strength  it  was  thought 
advisable  that  she  go  to  Alexandria  for  a  change  of  air. 
When  the  prince  returned  she  had  been  in  Alexandria  (with 
her  father)  for  about  two  weeks  ;  so  he  also  went  to  Alex- 
andria and  spent  the  six  weeks  required  by  law  enjoying  her 
society  and  studying  Arabic.  Her  character  developed  amaz- 
ingly fast  after  she  got  out  of  the  narrow  sphere  to  which 
she  had  hitherto  been  bound,  and  she  very  soon  acquired  a 
dignity  and  quiet,  easy  grace  that  well  became  her  new  posi- 
tion. She  did  not  seem  either  to  lose  any  of  the  graces  of 
her  Christian  character,  and  the  love  which  she  showed  for 
her  Bible,  and  conversation  on  religious  themes  knit  the 
heart  of  the  prince  every  day  in  still  closer  affection  for  her. 

"At  length,  on  the  7th  of  June,  the  marriage  was 
celebrated,  first  by  observing  the  legal  formalities  in  the 
British  consulate  at  11  A.  M.,  and  religiously  in  the  afternoon, 
the  services  being  conducted  by  Mr.  Hogg  in  the  presence  of 
the  missionaries,  the  parents,  and  a  few  friends  of  the 
family,  while  the  prince's  Hindustani  servants,  and  a  Mu- 
hammadan  servant  who  had  known  Bamba  from  her  child- 
hood, gathered  around  the  door  to  witness  the  celebration. 


172  The  American  Mission 

After  the  marriage  service  the  invited  guests  sat  down  to  a 
repast  of  princely  character  and  served  in  princely  style 
given  by  the  father.  The  dress  of  the  bride  was  white 
moire  antique,  trimmed  with  Brussels  lace,  and  made  in 
French  style,  with  all  the  usual  et  cetera  of  bridal  attire. 
The  bridegroom  wore  a  plain  dress  suit.  Bamba  was  calm 
and  self-possessed,  and  listened  with  marked  attention  to  the 
address,  while  the  prince  was  so  nervous  that,  as  he  after- 
wards confessed,  he  knew  little  of  what  was  said.  After 
the  sumptuous  repast,  and  a  little  music  and  conversation, 
the  bride  and  bridegroom  took  their  leave  of  the  company, 
and  drove  off  to  their  home  in  Ramleh. 

"  Two  weeks  after  the  wedding,  they  came  up  to  Cairo, 
and  we  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them  every  day  for  a 
fortnight.  Bamba  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  day  in 
school,  perfectly  happy  among  her  former  companions,  as  if 
she  were  still  one  of  them.  The  last  Sabbath  day  they 
were  with  us  we  had  the  pleasure  of  sitting  together  v/ith 
them  at  the  Lord's  table.  Before  they  left  Cairo  and  Egypt, 
he  presented  the  mission  with  ;j{^i,ooo  in  Bamba's  name  as 
a  thank-offering  to  the  Lord,  and  has  also  undertaken  to  give 
;^500  to  support  two  missionaries  during  the  remainder  of 
their  lives." 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  story  of  the  Marajah  Dhulup  Singh's 
marriage  to  Bamba — a  romance  of  actual  life — very  interest- 
ing in  itself,  and  fraught  with  important  results  to  the 
mission.  Just  when  the  mission  was  in  great  straits  for 
funds  to  carry  on  its  work,  just  when  the  doors  were  open- 
ing in  all  directions  inviting  the  occupation  of  the  land  for 
Christ  and  His  kingdom,  the  Lord,  in  His  wise  and  kind 
providence,  brought  about  this  union,  and  put  into  the  treas- 
ury of  the  mission  a  sum  sufficient  to  blot  out  the  debt  and 
provide  the  means  for  supporting  two  additional  missionaries 
for  an  indefinite  future.  \n  closing  the  letter  on  the  subject 
to  the  secretary  of  the  Board — from  which  we  have  taken 
a  large  part  of  the  foregoing — Mr.  Hogg  very  fittingly  said  : 
"  And  now,  in  the  review  of  these  wonderful  dealings  of 
God  with  us  in  His  providence,  have  we  not  reason  to 
rejoice  and  take  courage  to  go  forward  in  the  future  with  a 
firm  faith  to  the  work  to  which  God  has  called  us  in  this 
rapidly  widening  field  ?"     "  He  has  been  showing  us  that  it 


IN  Egypt.  173 

is  His  work,  and  that  He  will  provide  the  means  for  accom- 
plishing it."  "  And  now  that  the  way  is  opened,  and  the 
means  at  our  disposal  for  the  support  of  two  additional  mis- 
sionaries, shall  no  one  be  found  ready  to  come,  to  put  his 
hand  to  the  sickle  and  help  us  to  gather  in  the  whitening  har- 
vest ?"  "  Literally,  there  are  thirsty  souls  calling  from  all 
parts  of  Egypt,  '  Come  over  and  help  us.'  "  "  Now  while 
so  many  thousands*  are  running  eagerly  to  fight  the  battle 
of  their  country  at  home,  shall  not  two  willing  champions  be 
found  ready  at  a  prince's  call  to  buckle  on  their  armor  and 
come  out  speedily  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty 
in  Egypt  ?  " 

The  work  of  distributing  and  visiting  places  outside  of 
Cairo  and  Alexandria  was  continued,  and  conducted  with 
vigor  and  success  during  1864.  The  small  boat,  "  The 
Morning  Star,"  was  going  up  and  down  the  Nile  almost  con- 
stantly with  its  cargo  of  books,  with  one  of  the  natives  in 
charge.  Many  Scriptures  and  other  religious  books  were 
distributed.  The  large  boat,  the  "  Ibis,"  went  down  the 
Delta  twice  and  up  the  Nile  as  far  as  Aswan  once.  In  the 
early  summer  Mr.  Ewing  and  family  made  the  visit  to  Sitt 
Damienna,  at  the  annual  feast,  and  Mr.  Lansing  and  his 
family  went  as  far  as  Damietta  in  August.  Rev.  S.  C. 
Ewing  and  family  made  the  trip  to  Aswan  in  September, 
October,  and  November,  visiting  forty  towns  and  villages, 
and  disposing  of  a  goodly  number  of  books.  A  Mr.  Smith, 
from  the  north  of  Scotland,  also  made  a  tour  of  the  Nile, 
with  Girgis  Hanna  as  his  assistant.  Rev.  J.  Hogg  made  a 
visit  to  the  Faiyum,  and  found  a  wide  door  open  both  in  the 
Medinah  and  in  Sinoris,  and  on  return  felt  that  that  part  of 
the  country  should  be  occupied  by  a  missionary  as  soon  as 
possible.  He  found  the  truth  at  work  in  the  hearts  of  many, 
and  the  opposition  of  the  priests  and  others  very  strong  and 
active,  a  good  evidence  that  the  Lord's  work  was  being 
done.  Some  most  forward  then  in  favor  of  evangelical  truth, 
though  they  ran  well  for  a  time,  were  not  able  to  withstand 
*  It  was  in  1864,  during  the  civil  war. 


174  THE   AMERICAN   MISSION 

the  opposing  and  corrupting  influences  around  them,  and 
bear  the  heavy  burdens  of  the  narrow  way,  and  the  Medinah 
was  found  afterwards  to  be  a  very  difficult  field. 

Much  time  was  spent  in  Cairo  during  the  last  half  of  the 
year  in  repairing  the  building  and  making  arrangements  for 
the  establishing  of  a  printing  press,  which  the  Maharajah 
promised  to  present  to  the  mission. 

On  September  26,  the  formal  opening  of  the  theological 
seminary  was  made  by  Rev.  Messrs.  Lansing  and  Hogg,  the 
latter  having  as  an  invaluable  aid  in  this  work  completed  the 
translation  of  Patterson  on  the  Catechism.  It  was  during  this 
year,  too,  that  Rev.  G.  Lansing  brought  out  his  book  entitled 
"Egypt's  Princes,"  as  a  means  of  eliciting  and  stimulating 
interest  in  the  mission  work  throughout  the  home  churches. 

Notwithstanding  the  terrible  civil  war  in  America,  and 
the  demands  made  on  the  Church  at  home,  the  Lord  had 
interposed  for  His  work  in  Egypt  and  made  the  outlook  for 
the  coming  year  a  bright  one. 


IN   EGYPT.  175 


CHAPTER  XI. 

186=;— The  distribution  of  forces— Visit  of  the  Maharajah  and  the  Maharaneh— 
Sale  of  "  Ibis  "  to  them— Their  visit  to  Faiyum— Decision  to  open  new  station— 
Asyut  selected  and  Rev.  J.  Hogg  and  Miss  McKown  appointed— Reached  Asyut 
February  21,  lodged  with  Mr.  Wasif  Khayat— Mr.  Hogg  attends  Coptic  church, 
and  then  conducts  his  own  services— Muslim  saint  in  Gow— His  acts  of  violence 
—Great  danger-  Speedy  retribution— Mr.  Hogg's  third  Sabbath  in  Asyut,  many  at 
service,  some  moved  to  tears— School  opened  March  5— Opposition  begins— Sick- 
ness and  death  of  Marv  Lizzie  Hogg— Sickness  and  restoration  of  Hope— Terrible 
cholera  epidemic— Panic  in  Alexandria— Mrs.  Lansing  and  child  die  and  others— 
Dr  Lansing  and  boys  go  to  Ramleh— Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing  remains  in  Cairo  to  min- 
ister to  the  sick  and  mourning— Asyut  missionaries  go  north— Return  ot  mis- 
sionaries to  their  stations— Arrangements  for  next  year— Reading  God  s  Word  in 
the  homes— Arrival  of  new  missionaries,  and  return  of  others. 

The  missionary  force  at  Alexandria  remained  as  during 
1864  until  the  end  of  January,  when  Miss  McKown  was  trans- 
ferred to  Asyut ;  but  Rev.  E.  Currie  and  wife,  new  missionaries 
from  Ohio,  left  New  York  on  March  4,  and  arrived  at  Alexan- 
dria just  a  month  from  that  date.  At  Cairo,  the  year  1865 
began  with  Revs.  Lansing,  Hogg  and  Ewing,  and  Miss  Dales  at 
that  station.  Miss  Hart  returned  from  her  change  in  England 
on  January  9,  and  Miss  Dales,  completely  worn  out,  sought 
means  of  recruiting  in  America,  leaving  Egypt  March  18.  There 
was  no  suspension  of  any  part  of  the  work  in  Alexandria,  or 
Cairo,  or  on  the  Nile,  during  the  year ;  but  everything  went 
forward  in  a  quiet,  orderly  manner,  except  during  the  time  the 
cholera  prevailed,  and  in  the  work  itself  in  the  two  stations 
mentioned  nothing  of  unusual  moment  occurred  either  in  the 
church  or  school  work.  A  boarding  department  was  opened  in 
the  girls'  school  in  Cairo,  and  sixteen  boarders  attended,  and 
Dr.  Lansing  reopened  the  theological  class. 

The  maharajah  and  maharaneh  returned  to  Egypt  on  Jan- 
uary 9,  purchased  the  mission  boat  and  fitted  it  up  for  their 
comfort  on  the  Nile.  Their  interest  in  the  work  of  Christ  was 
unabated.  The  maharajah  visited  the  Faiyum  in  company  with 
Dr.  Lansing.     On  his  return  attended  meeting  of  presbytery 


176  THE  American  Mission 

in  Cairo,  and  was  present  at  Dr.  Lansing's  birthday  dinner 
(which  by  miscalculation,  and  much  to  the  amusement  of  the 
company,  turned  out  to  be  not  his  birthday,  but  that  of  his  son 
Carrell),  and  afterwards  visited  the  Delta  on  the  "  Ibis,"  doing 
some  missionary  work  on  his  own  account,  with  the  assistance 
of  the  maharaneh. 

The  great  event  in  the  history  of  the  mission  in  1865  was 
the  opening  of  a  new  station  at  Asyut.  This  large  town  was 
then,  and  is  now,  the  capital  of  upper  Egypt,  both  as  regards  its 
central  position  and  the  character  and  wealth  of  its  inhabitants. 
It  was  then  the  entrepot  of  merchandise  from  the  Oasis  and 
Darfur.  Gums,  ivory,  and  above  all,  slaves  in  large  numbers 
entered  Egypt  at  Asyut.  It  is  even  said  that  it  takes  its  name 
from  "Siut,"  referring  to  the  castigation  of  slaves  witnessed 
every  day.  As  has  been  already  mentioned,  Asyut  had  been 
visited  for  a  number  of  years,  and  a  school  for  boys,  conducted  in 
succession  by  several  of  the  mission  agents,  had  waxed  and 
waned  and  died.  Many  Scriptures  had  been  sold  there,  as  well 
as  other  useful  books  ;  and  many  intelligent  men  were  found  in 
it  and  the  villages  around.  One  man  of  wealth,  Mr  Wasif 
Khayat,  had  united  with  the  Church  in  Cairo,  but  this  fact  was 
not  known  in  his  own  town  up  to  that  time.  Much  had  already 
been  said  and  written  about  the  duty  of  opening  a  new  center, 
and  distributing  the  mission  forces  rather  than  having  so  many 
in  Cairo.  It  was  the  opinion  of  some  that  the  one  was  begin- 
ning to  stand  in  the  light  and  in  the  way  of  the  other,  and  they 
were  in  danger  of  stepping  on  one  another's  toes.  The  matter 
came  up  before  the  presbytery  at  its  meeting  the  first  week  of 
January,  1865.  On  account  of  a  great  want  of  funds,  it  had 
been  generally  thought  best  that  Mr.  Hogg  get  leave  to  go  to 
Great  Britain,  and  try  to  raise  contributions  in  aid  of  the  mis- 
sion, but  on  consultation  and  prayer  together  at  the  meeting  it 
was  finally  agreed  to  go  forward  and  reach  outward,  depending 
on  Him  whose  are  the  gold  and  the  silver,  to  support  His  own 
work.  The  Faiyum  and  Asyut  were  the  two  points  mentioned 
at  which  a  missionary  should  be  located  ;  but  who  should  go, 
and  which  one  of  these  places  should  be  selected  for  immediate 
occupation  ?     Mr.  Hogg  mentioned  his  readiness  to  go  wherever 


The  Sphynx,   vvitli  recent   Excavations. 


IN  Egypt.  i77 

it  was  thought  best,  and  after  much  discussion  and  prayer,  it 
was  resolved  that  Asyut  should  be  the  first  place  to  be  occupied, 
and  that  Mr.  Hogg  be  appointed  to  go  there  with  his  family! 
As  Miss  McKown  had  shown  a  great  desire  to  be  in  a  strictly 
native  field,  it  was  also  decided  that  she  accompany  them,  and 
that  they  leave  as  soon  as  they  could  conveniently  get  ready. 
It  was  thought  best,  also,  that  the  matter  be  kept  as  quiet  as 
possible,  so  that  the  Coptic  hierarchy  should  not  know  anything 
about  it,  else  many  difficulties  might  have  to  be  overcome 
through  obstacles  thrown  in  the  way  of  finding  rooms  for  the 
school,  and  a  place  for  holding  services  and  a  home  for  the 
family.  Having  made  all  necessary  preparations,  they  had 
their  boxes  and  furniture  put  in  an  open  boat  and  sent  off  in 
charge  of  Father  Bashai,  and  they  themselves  took  a  native 
dahabiyah,  with  no  glass  in  the  windows,  and  started  on  the 
4th  of  February,  1865. 

The  party  consisted  of  Rev.  J.  and  Mrs.  Hogg,  their  daugh- 
ter, Mary   Lizzie,   and  son,  Hope  Waddel,   and  Miss  McKown. 
There  was  also  Girgis  Hanna,  a  deacon  of  the  Cairo  church, 
going  as  a  general  assistant  in  the  work,  a  Coptic  girl,  called 
Mariam,  accompanied  by  a  small   orphan    brother,    also   Mr. 
Hogg's  cook,  Saad,  with  his  family.     To  economize  funds,  this 
native  boat  was  taken,  and  though  it  was  changed  on  the  way 
for  one  a  little  better,  yet  there  was  considerable  annoyance  by 
night  from  the  Egyptian  vermin,  and  trouble  by  day  from  the 
contracted  quarters.     They  arrived  in  Asyut  on  February  21, 
and  the  boat  containing  the  furniture  three  days  later.     They 
were  kindly  entertained  by   Mr.  W.  Khayat  until  the  2d   of 
March,  when  they  moved  into  a  house  which  had  been  secured 
for  them  through  his  efforts.     As  new  floors  had  to  be  laid  in 
some  of  the  rooms,  and  these  floors  were  of  brick  and  mortar, 
there  was  great  dampness,  and  both  children  took  croup,  and 
were  ill  with  it  for  several  days,  the  little  girl  quite  severely; 
and  as  there  was  no  doctor,  the  parents  were  very  anxious  for 
a  time,  but  the  Lord  in  his  mercy  removed  the  cause  of  their 
fears. 

On  the  first  Sabbath  Mr.  Hogg  attended  service  in  the 
Coptic  church  and  then  conducted  service  in  Mr.  Wasif's  house 


178  The  American  Mission 

in  the  presence  of  several  Copts  and  Greeks.  The  Coptic 
bishop  came  in  just  as  he  was  beginning  and  remained  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour.  The  next  Sabbath  Mr.  Hogg  again  went  to 
the  Coptic  service,  as  it  was  held  early,  and  then  returned  and 
conducted  services  in  his  own  house,  in  the  presence  of  ten 
adults  and  as  many  boys. 

Rumors  of  troubles  among  the  peasants  south  of  Asyut 
reached  Asyut  about  the  6th,  and  soon  after  the  .particulars  of 
what  but  for  the  prompt  action  of  the  government  might  have 
been  a  serious  insurrection,  and  caused  a  bloody  massacre  of 
the  innocent  with  the  guilty.  A  crack-brained  Muslim  of  Gow 
conceived  the  idea  that  he  was  raised  up  specially  by  God  to 
aid  the  Muslims,  and  had  begun  to  gather  around  him  a  com- 
pany of  followers.  This  was  easy  to  do  at  that  time,  as  the 
viceroy  had  taken  thousands  of  people  away  from  their  homes 
at  the  season  their  work  was  needed  on  their  own  lands,  and 
especially  as  during  the  previous  year  their  cattle  had  nearly 
all  died  of  the  murrain,  and  the  work  had  to  be  done  by  manual 
labor,  and  all  were  groaning  under  terrible  oppression.  Gain- 
ing followers  and  boldness,  day  by  day,  it  was  not  long  before 
he  commenced  to  perpetrate  acts  of  violence.  On  such  occa- 
sions, the  venom  and  hate  of  the  Muslims  are  always  directed 
against  the  so-called  Christians,  no  matter  howsoever  innocent 
they  may  be.  Passing  along  the  street  one  day  in  the  month 
of  Ramadan,  Ahmed,  for  such  was  his  name,  saw  a  Copt 
smoking.  This  stirred  his  holy  zeal  to  curse  the  Christian  dog, 
and  he  ordered  his  servant  to  give  him  a  beating.  The  Copt 
fled  and  concealed  himself  in  his  house,  but  they  quickly  fol- 
lowed him,  entered  and  plundered  all  his  goods  and  valuable 
effects.  The  Copts  in  Gow  immediately  sent  a  complaint  on 
the  subject  to  the  governor  of  Asyut,  who  ordered  the  sheikhs 
of  Gow  to  make  inquiries  on  the  subject  and  report.  They 
replied  that  Ahmed  was  a  "  waly  "  (a  holy  saint),  and  could  do 
no  one  any  harm.  A  few  days  after,  he  and  his  followers  laid 
hold  of  some  Coptic  girls  and  carried  them  off,  a  very  common 
habit  with  Muhammadan  saints.  A  second  petition  was  pre- 
pared, and  sent  this  time  to  the  inspector-general  of  Eg\'pt. 
He  sent  orders  to  the  governor  of  Girga  to  try  and  get  Ahmed 


IN  Egypt.  179 

quietly  into  his  hands,  and  take  him  bound  to  Asyut.  Upon 
which  he  ordered  the  nazir*  of  the  district  to  take  some  sol- 
diers and  go  and  seize  him.  The  nazir  replied  that  he  had  no 
master  but  the  viceroy,  and  that  he  had  no  orders  from  him  yet. 
Then  the  governor  went  himself,  with  a  small  company  of  sol- 
diers, but  Ahmed's  followers  had  now  increased  to  such  an  ex- 
tent he  was  obliged  to  wait  for  the  governor  of  Asyut  to  go  and 
help  him,  who,  however,  first  sent  a  telegram  to  Cairo  asking 
for  instructions.  The  reply  came  immediately  that  he  should 
join  the  governor  of  Girga  at  once,  and  that  Fadel  Pasha  and 
Shahin  Pasha  were  on  their  way  with  seven  steamers  and 
several  thousand  soldiers  from  Cairo.  Before  these  troops 
arrived  an  engagement  took  place  between  the  insurgents  and 
a  small  body  of  troops  sent  by  the  governor  of  Girga,  in  which 
the  latter  were  badly  beaten.  This  emboldened  the  insurgents, 
and  they  then  contemplated  a  sudden  descent  on  Asyut,  and 
arranged  with  their  friends  to  aid  the  prisoners  in  Asyut  jail  to 
effect  an  immediate  escape,  cut  the  telegraph  wire,  and  take 
possession  of  the  town  awaiting  their  arrival,  when  they  would 
kill  all  the  Turks,  Copts,  and  Franks,  and  divide  their  personal 
effects  among  themselves.  Files  had  been  secretly  furnished  to 
some  of  the  prisoners,  with  which  they  had  actually  removed 
some  of  their  chains,  a  part  of  the  wall  of  the  prison  was  almost 
dug  through,  three  doors  had  been  forced  and  there  only  remained 
the  outer  door  to  break  through,  when  the  cavalry  from  Minya 
entered  Asyut  on  their  way  to  Cow.  The  ruse  which  the 
prisoners  practiced  in  order  to  escape  the  observation  of  their 
keepers  was  this :  a  large  number  spent  their  time  in  making 
"  zikrs,"  i.  e.,  reciting  with  a  loud  voice  sundry  parts  of  the 
Koran,  or  bawling  out  the  name  of  God  at  the  top  of  their 
voices,  at  the  same  time  going  through  certain  bodily  evolutions 
and  genuflexions.  This  prevented  the  sound  of  the  files  being 
heard,  so  that  the  keepers  had  no  idea  of  what  was  going  on  ; 
but  by  the  timely  arrival  of  the  troops  on  the  way  to  Gow, 
the  escape  was  prevented.  Of  course  the  large  body  of  troops 
reaching  Gow  made  short  work  of  Ahmed  and  his  infatuated 
followers.  Ahmed  was  found  among  the  dead,  killed  by  a 
*  Overseer  of  the  district. 


i8o  The  American  Mission 

shell,  while  the  town  which  harbored  them  was  razed  to  the 
ground,  and  quiet  was  restored  in  all  the  neighborhood.  On 
learning  the  particulars  a  few  days  afterwards,  the  mission- 
aries saw  in  what  danger  they  had  been,  and  how  God  in  His 
providence  had  averted  the  dangers,  and  they  sang  with  hearty 
emotion  a  psalm  of  praise. 

On  the  third  Sabbath  after  Mr.  Hogg  went  to  Asyut,  he 
again  attended  the  Coptic  service,  and  on  returning  to  his  own 
house  he  held  service,  with  sixty  present,  many  of  whom  were 
moved  to  tears.  In  the  afternoon  he  also  had  service,  and  there 
were  present  twelve  men,  five  women  and  twenty  boys.  The 
school  was  opened  on  March  5,  with  six  boys  and  two  girls, 
which  by  March  13  had  increased  to  eighteen  boys  and  thirteen 
girls.  On  the  19th  of  March,  Mr.  Hogg,  as  usual,  attended 
Coptic  service  and  found  an  unusual  number  present.  During 
the  service  public  warning  was  read  aloud  against  heretics  and 
their  teaching.  On  returning  home,  some  friendly  Copts  urged 
Mr.  Hogg  to  go  back  to  the  Coptic  church  and  defend  himself, 
which  he  did,  and  the  bishop  pretended  that  he  did  not  mean 
him.  In  the  afternoon  he  had  services  in  his  own  house  as 
usual,  and  there  were  twenty  present,  among  them  the  man 
who  was  supposed  to  have  written  the  public  warning.  On 
the  24th  again  he  went  to  the  Coptic  church,  when  he  noticed 
that  all  the  people  stared  at  him.  At  the  Protestant  service 
only  eight  or  ten  were  present.  On  calling  at  Mr.  Wasif's^ 
Mr.  Hogg  found  the  Metropolitan  drinking  Arab  whisky,  and 
soon  left  him.  From  this  time  Mr.  Hogg  seems  to  have  discon- 
tinued attending  the  Coptic  service.  At  the  mission  service 
the  attendance  varied  very  greatly,  sometimes  forty,  half  of 
them  boys,  sometimes  not  half  that  number,  and  sometimes  only 
four  adults,  besides  the  missionaries,  and  a  few  boys.  The  boys 
enrolled  were  thirty-five  up  to  June  12.  Thus  began  that  work 
which,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  after  many  trials,  and  great  per- 
secution, and  many  discouragements,  has  filled  upper  Egypt 
with  light  and  Christian  life. 

Mr.  Hogg  was  greatly  assisted  by  Ibrahim  Yusif,  who  with 
his  aunt,  an  excellent  woman,  arrived  at  Asyut  from  Cairo  on 
April  27,  with  the  intention  of  staying  three  months.     His  father 


IN  EGYPT.  l8l 

and  mother,  after  persistent  entreaty  on  the  part  of  the  son, 
had  consented  to  his  being  absent  from  them  that  length  of  time. 
He  had  previously  been  in  Asyut  and  Beni  Suef,  and  was  an  ex- 
cellent assistant  in  many  ways.  From  this  time  people  began 
to  visit  the  mission  house  in  constantly  increasing  numbers, 
Mr.  Wesa  Buktor  voluntarily  gave  fifteen  napoleons  to  aid  in 
paying  the  expenses  of  the  mission,  and  the  people  began  to 
know  that  he  was  a  Protestant. 

Mr.  Hogg  began  to  visit  the  neighboring  villages,  among 
them  Wasta  and  Benub,  and  in  his  spare  moments  prepared  a 
commentary  on  Matthew.  In  June  that  year  there  was  great 
heat,  from  94°  up  to  108°,  which  was  very  debilitating  on  the 
workers.  On  one  occasion  Mr.  Hogg  wrote  in  his  diary  (June 
21),  "  Tired,  tired,  tired."  The  air  about  that  time  often  feels 
as  if  it  came  from  a  heated  oven,  it  is  so  hot,  dry  and  scorching 
in  its  effects.  On  the  25th  of  June  the  news  reached  Asyut  of 
the  outbreak  of  cholera  in  the  Delta  ;  and  about  the  same  time, 
with  this  fear  from  without,  Mary  Lizzie  Hogg's  illness  began 
to  cause  anxiety  in  the  hearts  of  her  parents.  She  gradually 
got  worse.  During  the  day  she  was  generally  better,  but  as 
night  came  she  always  became  worse  again,  as  is  generally  the 
case  in  croup,  with  which  she  was  attacked.  There  was  no 
doctor  in  the  place,  and  no  possibility  of  getting  one  from  Cairo 
or  elsewhere,  as  there  was  no  railway.  What  simple  remedies 
they  knew  they  used,  but  above  all  they  poured  out  their  hearts 
to  the  dear  Saviour.  Had  they  not  gone  away  up  there  for  His 
sake  ?  Would  not  the  Great  Physician  hear  their  cries  and  be 
moved  by  their  heart  pleadings?  God's  ways,  however,  are 
not  as  our  ways.  His  thoughts  not  as  our  thoughts.  She  was 
to  be  taken  from  earth  and  transplanted  in  the  garden  of  heaven. 
On  the  last  day  of  her  life,  near  sunset,  she  suddenly,  without 
any  allusion  to  the  subject  by  anyone,  turned  to  her  mother, 
and  said  quite  distinctly,  "Mamma,  I  am  going  to  die."  Though 
the  end  was  anticipated  some  hours  before,  "the  abruptness  of 
her  address,"  wrote  the  mother,  "at  the  time  quite  stunned 
me,  and  I  could  only  answer  by  an  uncontrolled  burst  of  an- 
guish. It  was  but  for  a  moment  or  two;  when  I  recovered  1 
said,  '  And  if  you  die,  darling,  where  will  you  go?     To  heaven?' 


i82  The  AMERICAN  Mission 

'  Yes,'  she  answered,  '  to  Jesus.  Jesus  is  coming  for  me.'  I 
then,  in  a  simple  way,  talked  about  heaven,  and  how  she  was 
going  to  be  an  angel,  and  to  all  of  which  she  calmly  and  quietly 
attended.  We  all  then  kissed  her,  even  little  Hopie  and 
Mariam,  while  she  held  out  her  little  hand  and  mouth,  evidently 
quite  aware  of  what  she  was  doing.  We  then  sang  some 
simple  verses  suited  to  the  occasion,  and  waited  quietly,  expect- 
ing every  moment  to  see  her  breathe  her  last.  She  revived  a 
little,  and  fell  asleep  again.  It  soon  became  evident  that  tlie 
relief  was  only  temporary.  She  could  not  rest  but  a  few  min- 
utes at  a  time  in  one  position.  Several  times  during  the  night 
she  seemed  to  be  going.  At  last,  a  little  before  her  end,  she 
asked  us  to  sing,  and  we  sang,  *  Here  we  suffer  grief  and  pain.' 
'  Sing,'  was  the  last  word  she  uttered,  except,  perhaps,  *  moyeh ' 
(water),  of  which,  in  her  last  hours,  she  drank  incessantly. 
After  the  last  terrible  struggle  she  breathed  two  or  three  gentle 
breathings,  and  she  was  with  Jesus.  Oh  !  the  relief  of  that 
moment.  With  full  hearts,  we  said,  '  Thanks  be  to  God,  she 
is  safe  home  at  last' — on  June  29,  1865."  She  was  laid 
away  in  a  vault  on  the  edge  ®f  the  Nile  valley,  the  first-born 
and  beloved  child  of  her  parents  ;  the  first  ingathering,  but  not 
the  last,  from  the  missionary  families  of  Asyut.  Thus  the 
dust  of  that  quiet  retreat  was  made  dear  to  the  parents,  and 
early  in  their  life  in  Asyut  a  nev/  and  unexpected  tie  bound 
them  to  that  field.  Their  only  remaining  child,  Hope,  was  also 
laid  low  with  the  disease,  but  a  kind  and  merciful  Father 
spared  him  and  restored  him  to  health  and  strength. 

While  the  friends  in  Asyut  were  passing  through  the 
waters  of  affliction  and  learning  to  kiss  the  hand  that  holds  the 
rod,  that  terrible  scourge,  cholera,  was  increasing  and  extend- 
ing day  by  day  in  the  north.  Foreigners  of  all  countries  tied 
to  Alexandria  from  all  parts  of  Egypt,  in  the  greatest  fear, 
intent  upon  getting  out  of  the  country  as  soon  as  possible.  All 
the  steamers  leaving  Alexandria  for  the  north  and  west  were 
crowded  ;  even  sailing  crafts  were  hired  to  take  the  frightened 
population  to  various  points  in  Europe  and  the  islands  of  the 
Mediterranean.  The  Khedive  left  for  Constantinople.  Some 
of  the  Egyptians  hired  boats  and  went  up  the  river  to  the  first 


IN  EGYPT.  183 

cataract,  as  the  disease  seldom  goes  so  far  up  the  river.     In 
Alexandria,  where  the  writer  was  at  the  time,  all  the  banks 
and  nearly  all  the  public  offices,  and  many  of  the  European 
shops,  were  closed.     Few  people  were  seen  in  the  streets,  as 
there  was  a  rush  to  get  away  out  of  the  country.     As  passes 
for  leaving  were  obligatory,  the  custom  house  was  crowded, 
and  those  in  authority  were  besieged  with  applications.      Their 
greed,  notwithstanding  tlie  judgments  of  the  Lord  were  abroad, 
saw  that  this  was  the  time  to  make  money,  so  they  gave  passes 
first  to  those   who  presented  them  the  largest  bribes,   while 
others  had  to  wait  for  days,  and  the  officials  of  the  sanitary 
department,  in  Cairo,  Alexandria  and  elsewhere,  took  the  oppor- 
tunity to  enrich  themselves  at  the  expense  of  the  panic-stricken 
and  afflicted  people,  as  they  presented  their  applications  for  per- 
mission to  bury  their  dead.      Immediately  on  the  appearance  of 
the   pestilence  most  of  our  members  in  Alexandria,  who  were 
Syrians,  fled  to  their  mountain  homes  in  Lebanon.     Only  two 
families  were  left.       The  schools  had  to  be  closed  and  the  book 
shop  was  shut.     Believing  that  our  safety  would  perhaps  be 
greater  outside  of  the  city,  and  having  secured  a  small  wooden 
house  in  Ramleh  at  a  moderate  rent,  we   moved   out  there. 
This  we  were  the  more  anxious  to  do,  as  Brother  Currie  had 
been  suffering  for  some  weeks,  and  the  pestilence  was  increas- 
ing every  day  in  the  city,  and  increased  until  it  was  reported 
that  from  600  to  900  died  in  one  day.     When  it  was  at  the  worst, 
Mrs.  Watson  and  I  had  to  go  to  Alexandria  for  a  day,  and  all 
that  day  there  was  almost  a  continuous  tramp  of  funeral  com- 
panies passing  along    the  street  with  their  mournful  refrain. 
An  awful  gloom  rested  on  the  city,  a  dread  appeared  in  every 
face.     In  the  meantime  the  pestilence  fell  with  its  heavy  hand 
upon   Cairo,  and  entered  the  homes  of  the  church  members, 
nay,  but  also   into  the  mission  house,  cutting  down  here  and 
there  its  victims  with  its  sharp  edge.      Old   Mr.  Leider  was 
taken,  Bamba's  mother,  and  one  of  the  teachers.     Mrs.  Ewing 
and  Mrs.  Lansing  were  both  attacked  in  one  day  ;  the  former 
recovered,    but  the  latter,   weakened  by  watching   over    her 
children,  who,  one  after  the  other,  had  been  sick  with  measles, 
succumbed,  and  soon  after  her  her  year-old  child,  Vischer,  a 


i84  The  American  Mission 

beautiful  boy,  died  ;  and  mother  and  cliild  were  laid  in  the  same 
coffin  and  in  the  same  grave  in  the  English  cemetery.  Dr. 
Lansing,  with  his  motherless  children,  came  down  to  Ramleh. 
There  he  was  attacked  by  the  disease,  and  became  very  low. 
The  writer  went  to  Alexandria  to  get  the  doctor.  All  the  doctors 
were  run  off  their  feet,  and  at  first  ours  thought  he  could  not  go  ; 
but  on  pleading  with  him,  he  said,  "  Yes,  1  will  go  for  Mr. 
Lansing."  When  he  saw  the  patient  he  evidently  thought 
there  was  little  hope,  but  he  gave  him  medicine,  a  dose  of 
chlorodyne,  which,  in  my  experience,  has  often  been  blessed  for 
the  restoration  of  patients  even  in  the  last  extremity.  From 
the  time  Dr.  Lansing  took  it  he  commenced  to  get  better,  and 
soon  recovered.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ewing  remained  at  their  post 
through  the  whole  time  of  the  prevalence  of  the  pestilence  in 
Cairo,  and  he,  aided  by  Father  Makhiel,  visited  the  sick  and 
buried  the  dead.  The  writer  went  up  for  a  day  or  two  to  be 
with  him.  In  writing  of  the  pestilence  to  Dr.  Dales,  August  4, 
it  was  said:  "This  evening  finds  Mrs.  Watson  and  myself 
back  in  our  old  home.  We  came  in  from  Ramleh  this  morning, 
to  make  room  for  our  Cairo  and  Asyut  friends,  v/ho  we  expect 
will  come  in  a  few  days  to  breathe  for  a  little  the  cool,  pure  air 
of  Ramleh.  I  assure  you  they  need  it  after  the  scenes  of  sor- 
row, suffering  and  death  they  have  either  experienced  or 
witnessed.  Thanks  to  a  kind  Father,  no  more  of  our  number 
have  been  stricken  down,  and  now  I  think  we  can  safely  say 
that  the  storm  is  past.  Terrible  was  the  scourge  while  it  lasted. 
It  is  estimated  by  our  physician  that  upwards  of  50,000  died  in 
one  month  alone,  but  as  it  lasted  more  than  a  month  in  some 
places — and  indeed  still  continues  in  not  a  few  places — not  less 
than  70,000  or  80,000  have  been  swept  down  by  the  destroying 
angel.  Here,  it  may  be  said  to  have  ceased,  though,  perhaps, 
three  or  four  deaths  occur  from  it  daily.  We  have  opened  the 
book  shop  and  boys'  school.  Some  of  the  boys  have  been  cut 
down  by  the  mowing  scythe,  and  their  names  with  sadness  we 
remove  from  the  school  roll." 

The  schools  in  Alexandria  having  grown  since  entering 
the  new  premises,  it  was  seen  that  more  room  was  needed  to 
allow  expansion;    so  the  fourth  story,  a  part  of  which  was 


> 


a, 
o 
<u 


o 


IN  Egypt.  185 

already  built,  was  seen  to  be  required  for  a  residence  for  the 
missionary  ;  and  then  a  part  of  the  third  story  could  be  set 
aside  for  a  chapel  and  the  rest  for  the  schools.  This  work  was 
begun  and  carried  out  to  near  its  completion  before  the  end  of 
the  year,  entailing  much  care  and  labor  upon  the  writer  in  addi- 
tion to  the  other  duties  of  the  station,  since  Brother  Currie  was 
yet  unable  to  do  any  mission  work,  and,  indeed,  was  living  in 
Ramleh  with  his  wife,  pursuing  the  study  of  the  language. 

The  attendance  at  the  services  in  Alexandria  continued  to 
improve,  and  there  were  two  accessions  to  the  membership 
during  the  year. 

After  the  death  of  th?ir  daughter,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hogg,  with 
Miss  McKown,  remained  in  Asyut  for  more  than  a  month,  re- 
ceiving almost  daily  missives  from  Cairo  and  Alexandria  giving 
particulars  about  the  cholera,  and  marking  its  upward  March 
through  the  valley  to  Asyut.  For  a  time  Mr.  Hogg  was  very 
ill,  but  rallied  and  recovered.  He  and  his  family  and  Miss 
McKown  remained  until  the  schools  were  closed,  and  nearly  all 
the  native  helpers  had  left,  and  cholera  had  reached  that  place. 
Leaving  the  station  in  care  of  Abdullah  Weesa,  they  came 
down  the  river  during  the  last  week  in  August  in  the  "  Ibis," 
which  had  been  sent  up  for  them.  It  was  a  hot  and  tedious 
passage  of  eleven  days  down  the  river.  They  remained  in 
Cairo  and  Ramleh  until  September,  and  then  returned  to  Asyut. 
A  week  before  they  reached  Asyut  the  boys'  school  was  opened 
by  ex-priest  Bashai,  Ibrahim  Yusif's  parents  refusing  to  allow 
him  to  return  to  Asyut.  Abdulla  Weesa  was  put  in  charge  of 
the  school,  while  Mr.  Hogg  taught  three  or  four  hours  a  day 
until  he  was  laid  aside  with  an  attack  of  ophthalmia,  which  con- 
tinued two  weeks,  and  then  left  him  in  a  state  of  great  weak- 
ness, from  which  he  only  partially  recovered,  until  he  went 
home  the  next  spring.  Services  on  Sabbath  at  Asyut  were 
attended  by  a  few  adults  in  addition  to  the  employes  and 
scholars.  The  attendance  at  the  boys'  school  reached  forty- 
five.  On  the  Copts  opening  a  school,  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
breaking  up  ours,  a  number  of  town  boys  left,  but  the  village 
boys,  some  of  them  young  men,  hoping  for  protection  from  the 
corvee^  more  than  filled  their  places. 


i86  The  American  Mission 

Through  the  diffusion  of  religious  knowledge  acquired  from 
the  Scriptures  and  other  books,  distributed  and  read,  many 
came  about  the  mission  in  Asyut,  and  a  great  movement  among 
the  monks  in  Dir  el-Maharrak  occurred,  in  which  several  of  the 
monks  proposed  leaving  the  monastery  and  going  to  Asyut  to 
study  theology.  Everywhere  was  manifested  the  spirit  of 
inquiry,  and  doors  were  opened  to  the  north  and  to  the  south. 
Feeling  his  own  health  failing,  and  seeing  at  the  same  time 
the  field  widening,  Mr.  Hogg  proposed  for  the  consideration  of 
the  presbytery  a  distribution  of  forces,  present  and  prospective, 
to  strengthen  the  mission  staff  at  Asyut,  and  prepare  the  way 
for  his  taking  a  vacation  the  following  year.  On  account  of 
his  own  health  and  for  the  health  of  his  family,  he  went  to 
Cairo  in  December  and  remained  there  till  he  left  for  Scotland. 
In  Cairo  Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing  remained  alone,  on  account  of 
Dr.  Lansing's  absence  at  Ramleh  through  illness,  but  the  work 
continued  in  all  its  departments ;  Dr.  Lansing  going  up  occa- 
sionally on  Saturday  to  assist  Mr.  Ewing  in  the  Sabbath  ser- 
vices. Dr.  Lansing  returned  to  Cairo  with  his  three  boys  on 
November  28.  A  meeting  of  presbytery  was  held  in  Cairo  the 
27th  of  November,  at  which  the  following  action  on  the  division 
of  forces  was  taken  : 

(i)  That  Mr.  Currie  be  located  in  Asyut,  Dr.  Barnett, 
accompanied  by  Miss  McKown,  to  go  thither  at  once  and  remain 
there  till  Mr.  Currie's  arrival,  when  he  will  return  to  Cairo  and 
become  pastor  of  the  native  church  there. 

(2)  That,  in  view  of  the  report  of  Bros.  Lansing  and 
Ewing,  who  have  recently  visited  the  district  of  the  Faiyum, 
it  appearing  to  presbytery  that  Madinet  el-Faiyum  at  present 
offers  a  more  encouraging  field  for  missionary  occupation  than 
Monsurah,  the  occupation  of  the  latter  place,  as  resolved  upon 
by  last  presbytery,  be  for  the  present  postponed ;  and  that  a 
similar  course  be  observed  in  reference  to  Haret-es-Sakkain, 
and  that  Mr.  Harvey  be  located  in  Madinet  el-Faiyum,  Dr.  Lan- 
sing to  introduce  him  to  his  field  of  labor,  and  to  remain  with 
him  till  the  next  meeting  of  presbytery,  Mr.  Ewing  to  join  him 
after  Mrs.  Ewing's  departure  to  America,  and  to  remain  with 
him  until  further  arrangements  are  made. 


IN  Egypt.  187 

(3)  That  Mr.  Pinkerton  remain  in  Cairo  lor  tlie  present, 
and  have  the  superintendence  of  the  boys'  school,  and  charge 
of  the  accounts  of  the  Cairo  station,  and  that  Mr.  Hogg  assist 
at  tliis  station  until  Dr.  Lansing's  return  from  the  Faiyum. 

(4)  That  Mr.  Currie  remain  in  Alexandria  until  he  can 
make  the  necessary  preparations  for  his  departure  to  Asyut. 

It  was  on  December  19,  just  before  this  meeting  of  presby- 
tery, that  Rev.  W.  Harvey  and  wife,  Rev.  B.  Pinkerton  and 
wife,  arrived  at  Alexandria  as  new  missionaries,  and  at  the 
same  time  Dr.  Barnett  and  wife  and  Miss  Dales  returned  from 
their  vacation.  The  arrival  of  these  new  recruits  and  tried 
workers  brought  joy  to  all  hearts,  and  was  an  evidence  that 
the  Church  at  home  was  determined  to  carry  on  the  work  of 
the  Lord  in  Egypt  with  the  activity,  energy  and  zeal  which  the 
Master  required,  while  it  promised  to  the  worn  out  and  weary 
ones  on  the  field  the  help  and  encouragement  they  all  then  re- 
quired, at  the  close  of  a  year  full  of  trial,  bereavement,  and 
hard  work.  The  Lord  had  thus  heard  the  prayers  that  many 
had  been  offering,  to  send  laborers  into  his  vineyard.  The  dis- 
tribution of  books  by  means  of  depositories,  colporteurs,  and 
the  two  Nile  boats,  continued  with  little  interruption  all  the 
year.  A  desire  to  read  the  Bible  and  controversial  books 
became  quite  general.  The  Scriptures  were  searched  by  some 
for  the  confirmation  of  their  Church  doctrines,  and  read  by 
many  for  a  knowledge  of  God  and  His  truth,  which  they  con- 
tain. The  great  reverence  of  the  Copts  for  the  Word  of  God 
prevented  their  listening  to  the  warnings  of  some  of  their  lead- 
ers not  to  read  it.  One  day  the  Coptic  Patriarch  was  calling 
at  the  house  of  an  uncle  of  a  monk  who  had  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  missionaries  and  was  proposing  to  study  for  the 
ministry  in  their  service.  He  saw  the  man's  son  reading  out  of 
the  new  translation  of  the  Bible,  and  burst  out  with  these  words, 
"Why  do  you  read  such  a  book  as  that.?  Don't  you  know 
that  the  Americans  have  corrupted  the  Word  of  God  and  made 
it  teach  heresy  ?"  The  young  man  turned  round  and  replied, 
"How  do  you  know  that  it  teaches  heresy.?  Where  are  the 
Bibles  that  you  have  caused  to  be  printed  for  your  people  ? 
Bring  us  a  copy,  and  then  we  shall  compare  it  with  that  printed 


i88  The  American  Mission 

by  the  Americans,  and  see  whether  the  latter  teaches  heresy 
or  not.  Meanwhile,  we  intend  to  read  and  study  this  till  you 
furnish  us  with  a  better."  The  next  night  the  Patriarch  on 
entering  the  patriarchate  found  his  own  brother,  whom  he  was 
intending  to  consecrate  as  a  bishop  before  long,  busy  reading 
the  new  translation  of  the  Bible,  which  he  had  just  bought  from 
our  shop  for  ;^2. 50.  He  fell  at  his  brother,  saying,  "What! 
Am  I  to  believe  my  eyes  ?  Is  it  not  enough  that  the  people  out- 
side are  buying  and  reading  these  heretical  books,  but  my  own 
brother  must  show  them  the  example !  Out  with  you  !  You 
are  disgracing  me  before  the  whole  Church.  Send  this  book 
back  at  once,  or  1  will  burn  it  before  your  face."  His  brother 
got  angry  in  his  turn  and  accused  the  Patriarch  of  blasphemy 
in  saying  that  the  Word  of  God  taught  heresy,  and  he  refused 
either  to  give  it  up  or  send  it  back  to  the  shop. 

Mr.  Hogg  writes  also  on  the  same  subject  the  following : 
*'  We  were  very  much  interested  one  day  in  the  case  of  a  poor, 
half-blind  Coptic  woman,  who  came  into  our  school  in  Asyut 
and  asked  for  a  copy  of  the  Bible.  She  said  that  she  had  come 
walking  all  the  way  from  Manfalut,  about  twenty  miles  distant, 
in  order  to  buy  one  for  herself.  She  had  learned  to  read  when 
quite  young,  and  had  had  a  Bible  for  several  years,  but  one  of 
the  areefs  having  lost  his  book,  had  taken  hers  away,  saying 
that  he  had  more  need  of  it  than  she  had,  as  he  had  to  teach  the 
children  in  the  school  from  it.  She  had  heard  that  we  had  some^ 
to  sell,  and  she  had  gathered  up  eighteen  piastres  (ninety  cents) 
and  had  hoped  we  could  let  her  have  a  copy  for  that  amount, 
as  she  had  with  difficulty  gathered  it  out  of  her  hard  earnings. 
She  took  a  Testament  out  of  the  hands  of  one  of  the  boys  of 
the  school,  at  the  teacher's  request,  and  read  almost  a  whole 
chapter,  and  was  able  to  give  sensible  answers  to  the  questions 
put  to  her  as  to  the  meaning  of  what  she  had  read.  Poor  crea- 
ture, her  eyes  were  so  weak  that  it  was  painful  to  look  at  her 
while  reading,  she  had  to  hold  the  book  so  close  to  her  face. 
We  gave  her  a  copy  of  the  Bible  and  one  of  the  small  books 
besides,  and  she  went  away  with  the  air  of  one  who  felt  that 
forty  miles'  trot  barefooted  was  fully  rewarded." 


IN  Egypt.  189 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Arrangements  for  1866 carried  out— Large  company  leaves  Cairo  on  "  Ibis"— 
Dr.  Lansing  and  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  leave  at  Zawiyah— Dr.  Barnett  and  wife 
and  Miss  McKown  at  Asyut— Writer  and  wife  go  up  to  Esna  and  return,  visiting 
places  and  selling  books— At  Girga  hear  of  death  of  Mrs.  Currie— Hurry  back  to 
Alexandria— Work  begun  in  Faiyum— Opening  of  schools— Dr.  Lansing  leaves 
and  Brother  Ewing  takes  his  place  April  i— Dr.  Barnett  leaves  Asyut  in  summer 
and  Mr.  Currie  takes  his  place —Dr.  Lansing  visits  Asyut— Mr.  Strang's  arrival 
from  America  to  take  charge  of  press— Marriage  of  Dr.  Lansing  and  Miss  Dales, 
who  go  up  the  Nile  and  visit  the  stations— Work  at  Kus— Work  in  Alexandria. 

The  division  of  the  laborers,  in  accordance  with  the  resolu- 
tions of  presbytery  mentioned,  was  carried  out.  Rev.  B.  F. 
Pinkerton  took  up  his  residence  in  Haret-es-Sakkain,  Cairo,  and 
pursued  the  study  of  Arabic.  Rev.  J.  Hogg  remained  in  Cairo 
until  he  left  for  Scotland  in  the  early  spring.  Rev.  E.  Currie 
remained  in  Alexandria  for  a  time.  Misses  Dales  and  Hart  re- 
mained in  Cairo,  where  they  had  been  before.  On  January 
17,  Rev.  Dr.  Lansing,  Rev.  Dr.  Barnett  and  wife.  Rev.  W. 
Harvey  and  wife,  Miss  McKown,  the  writer  and  his  wife,  to- 
gether with  Mr.  A  wad  Hanna  and  some  other  native  friends, 
left  Cairo  on  the  "  Ibis  "  for  the  work  to  which  they  had  been 
appointed.  It  was  the  month  of  Ramadan.  Dr.  Lansing  had 
sent  his  servant  to  take  his  horse  to  Zawiyah,  the  point  on  the 
Nile  at  which  he  intended  to  leave  us.  On  Saturday  the  "Ibis" 
ran  on  a  sandbank  and  the  sailors  tried  in  vain  to  get  her  off 
until  late  at  night.  As  the  river  was  falling  rapidly,  it  was 
feared  it  might  be  next  to  impossible  to  get  her  off  if  left  till 
Monday.  A  gang  of  men  from  a  village  near  by  was  secured, 
who  after  some  trouble  got  her  afloat  again,  and  there  we  waited 
till  the  Sabbath  was  past,  having  got  "the  ass  out  of  the  well." 
On  reaching  Zawiyah  about  the  first  objects  we  saw  were  Dr. 
Lansing's  black  horse  and  Seyyed,  the  servant,  and  on  coming 
up  close  to  them  Dr.  Lansing  remarked  that  from  the  appear- 
ance of  the  horse  and  his  groom,  the  former  must  have  done   al 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION 

tne  fastincr  and  the  btter  all  the  praying!  Here  Dr.  Lansing 
Rev  Wfiarvey  and  wife  and  Father  Makar  left  us  for  Madmet 
e..F;iyum  to  open  a  new  station.  The  rest  of  -^P^ocee^e^up 
the  Nile  as  fast  as  the  wind  would  carry  us.  At  Asyut  Dr 
Barnelt  and  his  wife  and  Miss  McKown  left  us  to  occupy  that 
station  in  accordance  with  appointment.  We  then  contmued 
our  progress  up  the  Nile,  only  visiting  towns  and  villages  when 
?he  wind  was  unfavorable,  until  we  reached  Esna,  and  from 
hat  point  we  began  the  return  journey,  in  order  to  read,  home 
again  in  time  to  relieve  brother  Curne  and  allow  him  to  fill  his 

appointment  in  Asyut.  ,    „  ,  „  j„u  i^ „, 

On  coming  north  we  visited  Luxor,  Kurnah,  Nakadah,  Kus, 
Kena,  Belyana,  Girga,  where  we  learned  by  telegram  of  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Currie,  which  caused  us  to  hasten  ^ck  to  Cano 
When  we  left  her  and  her  husband  m  Ale.xandna,  and  were 
going  downstairs,  she  called  out  to  us.  "  Don't  carry  us  away 
on  your  shoulders,"  referring  to  our  dispos.t.on  to  be  unduly 
anxious.     Little  did  we  then  know  that  we  should  never  see  her 
a^ain.  nor  hear  any  more  her  sprightly,  cheery  voice.     It  was 
ateri  ible  blow  to  her  bereaved  husband,  left  without  her  direct- 
ing hand,  and  with  the  care  of  his  motherless  babe.     Never 
have  1  met  with  a  couple  who  enjoyed  each  other's  company 
more    and  between  whom  true  affection   ruled  with  greater 
mutual  admiration.     The  Lord,  whom  Brother  Curne  loved  and 
"erved  gave  him  grace  to  bear  patiently  his  affliction,  and  ta 
send  his  dear  child  to  America  to  be  cared  for  by  his  mother^ 
She  was  confided  to  the  care  of  Mrs.  Hogg,  who  was  expec  ed 
to  take  her  to  America,  but  on  reaching  Liverpool  «  w-  de   ded 
that  she  and  her  husband  would  not  go  to  America  at  that  time. 
soMrs^Ewingtook  her  in  charge  and  delivered  her  to  loving 
friends  waiting  to  receive  her.  ,     ,  ,  ^  ^^ 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  Mrs.  Ewing  had  become  se- 
riously ill,  and  continued  so  for  some  time,  so  that  a  change  of 
climate  was  ordered,  and  it  was  decided  that  she  return  to  her 
nZe  land,  but  she  had  become  so  prostrated  that  a  brief  trip 
up  the  Syrian  coast  was  thought  necessary  to  prepare  her  for 
the  long  jV.urney  to  America.  About  the  begmning  of  Apri  she 
and  her  laughter,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hogg,  and  their  two  children. 


IN  Egypt.  191 

with  Mr.  Currie's  babe,  left  for  the  home  land,  followed  by  the 
prayers  of  all  for  a  safe  voyage  and  a  speedy  and  happy  return. 

The  party  already  mentioned  as  going  to  the  Faiyum,  to 
open  a  new  station,  reached  Medinah  on  January  23,  1866. 
They  found  a  house  vacant,  and  occupied  it  after  making  some 
necessary  repairs.  They  rented  it  for  the  space  of  five  years. 
The  writer  visited  Mr.  Harvey  the  following  year,  and  was  con- 
vinced from  the  appearance  of  the  building  that  it  required  no 
little  grace  to  be  willing  to  live  in  such  a  house. 

Missionaries  coming  to  Egypt  now  know  little  what  the  first 
missionaries  had  to  endure  in  this  respect,  even  in  Cairo  and 
Alexandria,  and  how  much  more  in  Asyut  and  the  Faiyum. 
Thanks  to  Him,  whose  we  are  and  whom  we  serve,  for  making 
residence  in  Egypt  much  more  comfortable  for  the  missionaries 
than  it  used  to  be,  thereby  securing  for  them  better  health,  and 
enabling  them  to  continue  longer  on  the  field  without  the  fre- 
quent changes  which  formerly  were  required  on  account  of  ill 
health. 

As  the  Faiyum  had  been  visited  before  several  times,  and 
Scriptures  and  evangelical  books  had  been  sold  and  read  there, 
the  missionaries  were  not  long  in  finding  inquirers.  Indeed; 
their  house  was  filled  every  evening  with  men  coming  for 
religious  discussions  and  to  attend  evening  prayers.  From  the 
first  week  after  their  arrival  services  were  conducted  twice 
every  Sabbath  in  what  they  called  the  upper  room,  until  Dr. 
Lansing  left,  on  the  7th  of  March,  for  Cairo,  and  they  were 
resumed  on  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Ewing,  April  i,  and  continued 
by  him  through  the  year,  with  an  average  attendance  of 
twenty-seven.  The  evening  meetings  were  well  attended  dur- 
ing the  week  until  the  Coptic  priests,  afraid  of  the  influence 
exerted  upon  the  people,  secured  from  the  Patriarch  a  document 
denouncing  the  American  missionaries,  and  threatening  with 
excommunication  all  who  should  affiliate  with  them  or  attend 
their  meetings.  This  paper  was  publicly  read  on  the  4th  of 
March,  and  had  considerable  effect  for  some  time  in  keeping 
the  people  away. 

A  school  for  boys  was  opened  as  soon  as  a  room  for  it 
could  be  secured,  and  by  the  end  of  the  year  there  was  an  at- 


1^2  THE  AMERICAN  MISSION 

tendance  of  twenty-five.  A  girls'  school,  also,  was  opened 
about  the  ist  of  July,  and  forty-five  names  were  enrolled  up  to 
the  end  of  the  year,  but  not  more  than  twenty-five  or  thirty 
attended  regularly.  Among  these  were  eight  Muhammadans. 
Thus  was  begun  in  the  Faiyum  that  work  which  after- 
wards (though  not  in  Medinah  itself)  was  blessed  by  the  Lord 
to  many  as  we  shall  see  as  we  proceed  in  recording  the  work 
of  the  mission. 

At  Asyut  the  work  was  carried  on  after  Mr.  Hogg  left  by 
Mr.  Abdullah  We'sa  and  Father  Bishai.     When  Dr.  Barnett  and 
Miss  McKown  reached  Asyut  there  were  only  twenty  scholars 
in  the  boys'  school.     The  number  increased  or  diminished  dur- 
ing the  year  according  to  the  severity  of  the  threats  made  and 
the  persecutions  carried  on  by  the  priests  of  the  Coptic  church 
against  the  scholars,  or  as  the   boys  were  needed  by  their 
parents  to  help  them  in  manual  labor  on  the  farms.     The  girls' 
school,  which  was  suspended  during  Miss  McKown's  absence 
since  December  i,  1865,  was  also  resumed  and  about  twenty 
attended.     The   Sabbath   services,  which  had  also  been  sus- 
pended, were  immediately  resumed  and  regularly  maintained 
up  to  the  time  of  Dr.  Barnett's  departure  to  Cairo,  about  the 
middle  of  July,  he  having  remained  in  Asyut  about  two  months 
beyond  the  time  of  his  appointment.     The  station  was  again 
left  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Abdullah  Wesa,  and  ex-priest  Bishai, 
but  they  do  not  seem  to  have  had  the  full  confidence  of  tlie 
people,  and  with  the  departure  of  the  missionaries  the  interest 
in  their  work  grew  much  less.     The  station  was  visited  twice 
during  the  last  half  of  the  year  by  Dr.  Lansing  and  Mr.  Cur- 
rie,  and  on  their  last  visit  the  sacrament  was  dispensed  for  the 
first  time,  at  which  one  of  the  teachers  in  the  school  and  three 
persons  from  Beni-Aleig  were  received  to  church  fellowship  on 
profession  of  their  faith.      Mr.  Currie  remained  in  charge  of 
the  station  till  the  end  of  the  year,  and  was  able  to  conduct  the 
services  in  Arabic,  though  in  a  stammering  tongue,  and  by  his 
presence,  piety,  and  Christian  conversation,  he  gave  character 
to  the  work,  because  he  was  personally  highly  esteemed  by 
all  who  knew  him. 

In  Cairo  the  usual  services  were  conducted  on  the  Lord  s 
day  by  Mr.  Hogg  and  Mr.  Ewing,  except  during  the  time  Mr. 


IN  Egypt.  193 

Ewing  accompanied  his  wife  to  Syria  and  back.  The  theological 
class  was  taught  by  the  former,  while  the  secular  work  of  the 
mission  was  divided  among  the  three  missionaries.  It  was  dur- 
ing the  spring  of  this  year  that  brother  Hogg,  with  more  zeal 
than  prudence,  in  view  of  his  weak  state  of  health,  resumed  the 
study  of  Turkish  and  preached  a  few  times  in  that  language, 
after  six  weeks  of  study  the  year  before  at  Asyut.  Dr.  Lan- 
sing returned  to  Cairo  early  in  March,  and  Mr.  Ewing  left  for 
the  Faiyum  early  in  April,  while  Mr.  Hogg,  with  his  family,  left 
about  the  same  time  for  Scotland.  Mr.  D.  Strang,  with  his 
family,  arriving  in  April,  took  up  his  residence  in  Cairo  in  the 
mission  building,  and  assumed  direction  of  the  press,  to  which 
he  was  appointed,  and  also  in  the  course  of  the  year  became 
general  treasurer  to  the  mission,  Rev.  B.  F.  Pinkerton  having 
charge  of  the  book  department  of  Cairo.  Dr.  Barnett  joined 
the  missionary  force  in  Cairo  about  midsummer,  and  became 
practically  the  pastor  of  the  church  there. 

The  year  1866  was  one  of  quietude  in  the  mission  in  Cairo 
and  elsewhere,  till  the  end  of  the  year.  The  regular  work  in 
Cairo  was  carried  on  without  much  opposition  and  with  encour- 
aging success.  A  Turkish  service  in  addition  to  the  two  Arabic 
services  was  conducted  on  the  Sabbath,  and  there  was  an  acces- 
sion of  ten  to  the  membership  of  the  church  during  the  year. 
The  schools  continued  to  do  their  work  of  educating  the  young, 
and  two  evening  services  for  prayer  and  conference  were  held, 
one  every  night  in  Haret-es-Sakkain,  and  the  other  in  the 
Ezbakiyah. 

Dr.  Lansing  and  Miss  Dales  were  married  in  Ramleh  on 
August  9,  in  the  presence  of  the  mission  circle.  They  made  a 
trip  on  the  "  Ibis  "  in  the  autumn,  sowing  the  seed  of  the  Word 
wherever  they  went.  It  was  during  this  tour  that  they  spent 
some  time  at  Kus,  v/here  Father  Makhiel  had  been  laboring 
since  the  beginning  of  May,  and  by  his  activity  and  zeal  had 
supplemented  in  an  encouraging  manner  the  work  that  had  been 
done  by  Fam  Stephanos  during  many  previous  years  among  his 
own  townsmen.  They  found  a  large  number  of  applicants  for 
communion,  and  after  examination,  such  as  seemed  necessary, 
twenty-five  persons  (fourteen  males  and  eleven  females)  were 
13 


ig^j  THE   AMERICAN   MISSION 

admitted  to  the  Lord's  table  on  Sabbath,  November  4,  1866. 
On  the  following  day  a  church  organization  was  instituted  by 
the  election  of  three  elders,  and  at  the  same  time  Father  Makhiel 
was  elected  pastor,  and  left  for  Cairo  a  month  later  to  be  or- 
dained by  presbytery.  Subsequent  manifestations  showed  that 
these  doings  were  too  precipitate,  for  though  he  was  ordamed, 
on  account* of  opposition  he  never  became  pastor  in  Kus,  while 
years  passed  before  the  election  of  the  officers  was  confirmed 
by  their  ordination. 

Monsurah  was  visited  by  some  of  the  missionaries  durmg 
the  year.     Barsum  Salib,  the  head  of  a  prominent  family  there, 
declared  himself  a  Protestant,  and  others  also  showed  decided 
leanings  to  the  evangelical  religion.     Mr.  Awad  Hanna,  who 
had  served  the  mission  in  various  capacities,  was  sent  there  in 
the  autumn,  and  schools  for  boys  and  girls  were  opened.     He 
conducted  services  in  Arabic  on  Sabbath,  but  it  is  feared  that 
his  religion  was  too  much  of  the  militant  kind  to  be  useful ;  his 
conversation  partook  too  much  of  jesting  and  cutting  innuendoes, 
and  his  Christian  walk  failed  to  conform  to  his  teaching.     He 
did  something  to  tear  down  the  old  tottering  walls  of  the  Coptic 
system,  but  he  does  not  seem  to  have  done  much  to  build  on 
the  true  foundation,  the   spiritual  temple  of  the  Lord.     For 
worldly  ends  some  of  the  people,  who  cared  nothing  for  our  re- 
ligion, lent  some  assistance,  which  in  an  outward  way  was  bene- 
ficial, but  it  may  be  doubted  whether  it  really  helped  the  cause. 
The  work  in  Alexandria  continued  to  move  onward  in  all 
the  departments.     During  the  writer's  absence  on  the  Nile  the 
services  were  conducted  in  turn  by  Mr.  Hogg  and  Mr.  Ibrahim 
Yusif,  who  went  down  from  Cairo  in  turn  every  Saturday. 
Brother  Currie  looked  after  the  boys'  school,  and  gave  instruc- 
tion to  some  of  the  classes  ;  while  Miss  Gregory,  a  Syrian,  edu- 
cated by  the  missionaries  in  Beirut,  conducted  the  girls'  school 
in  an  efficient  manner  until  she  was  obliged  to  go  to  England  for 
her  health.     As  Miss  McKown  was  then  unable  to  return  to 
Asyut,  she  consented  to  take  care  of  the  girls'  school,  and  made 
it  an  efficient  means  for  good  to  the  girls.     She  is  reported  to 
have  said  that  she  never  knew  girls  in  America  take  a  deeper 
interest  in  their  studies  or  make  better  progress.     From  the 


IN  EGYPT.  195 

time  Mr.  Currie  left  for  his  field  of  labor  in  Asyut,  in  company 
with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lansing,  on  the  "  Ibis,"  to  the  end  of  the 
year,  the  writer  was  the  only  male  missionary  in  Alexandria. 
In  the  absence  of  Mr.  Hogg  in  Scotland,  and  Mr.  Ewing  in  the 
Faiyum,  a  large  amount  of  secular  business  fell  to  his  share, 
and  in  trying  to  accomplish  it,  the  constant  use  of  his  eyes  in 
writing  letters  and  making  up  accounts  greatly  increased  their 
chronic  weakness.  The  work,  however,  in  the  church  pros- 
pered more  than  any  previous  year.  Six  were  added  to  the 
church  membership,  and  proved  by  their  walk  and  conversation 
the  sincerity  of  their  profession.  One  a  converted  Muslim,  a 
freed  slave,  made  a  simple  and  earnest  profession,  and  was 
faithful  in  the  performance  of  his  Christian  duties,  and  in  trying 
to  learn  to  read,  so  as  to  peruse  the  words  of  the  Saviour  in  his 
leisure  moments.  One  member  was  suspended  for  immoral 
conduct — it  was  a  solemn  occasion — but  this  act  of  discipline 
seems  to  have  been  blessed  to  the  offender. 

Thus  the  work  went  on  and  the  seed  was  sown  in  1866, 
with  encouraging  evidences  of  the  Master's  approbation  and  de- 
sire that  we  should  go  forward  still  more  and  preach  the  Gospel 
to  every  creature. 


196  The  American  Mission 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

1867— Distribution  0.  forces— Return  of  Mr.  Hogg— Meeting  of  presbytery- 
Rev.  Messrs.  Ewing  and  Watson  go  to  America— Ordination  of  Makhiel  el- 
Belyani— Attempt  to  train  converted  monks— Theologues  at  Asyut— High-handed 
measures  of  persecution— Viceroy  and  patriarchate  unite  in  a  determination  to 
exterminate  Protestants  and  drive  out  of  Egypt  the  missionaries— Patriarch  at 
Abnub— At  Asyut— Burning  of  books  and  Bibles— Threats— Bold  and  tyrannical 
action  at  Ekhmin— Efforts  to  intimidate  Protestants  at  Kus— Priest  Feltois  afraid 
of  Fam's  arguments— Persecution  in  Nakadah. 

The  year  1867  began  with  Rev.  E.  Currie  in  Asyut;  Rev.  Dr. 
Lansing,  Dr.  Barnett,  and  Messrs.  S.  C.  Ewing,  and  B.  F.  Pink- 
erton,  Mr.  D.  Strang,  and  Miss  Hart  in  Cairo  ;  Rev.  W.  Harvey 
in  Madinet  el-Faiyum  ;  Rev.  A.  Watson  and  Miss  McKown  in 
Alexandria.  Early  in  the  year  Rev..  J.  Hogg  returned  from  his 
vacation  in  Great  Britian,  during  which  he  had,  in  accordance 
with  the  direction  of  presbytery,  endeavored  to  elicit  the  inter- 
est of  the  British  Christians  in  the  establishment  of  an  institu- 
tion in  Egypt  for  the  training  of  young  men  for  preachers  and 
evangelists ;  and  so  far  succeeded  that  he  raised  the  sum  of 
$2,500,  and  obtained  the  promise  of  annual  contributions  for 
the  same  object.  This  success  was  obtained  at  no  small  sacri- 
fice of  time  to  which  he  was  entitled  for  recuperating  his  own 
health  and  strength,  and  his  efforts  were  greatly  aided  by  his 
highness  the  Maharajah  Dhulup  Singh,  who,  in  addition  to  his 
annual  gift  of  $5,000  to  the  mission  on  the  anniversary  of  his 
marriage,  headed  the  subscription  paper  mentioned  with  the  sum 
of  $500  against  his  name. 

In  February  there  was  held  in  Cairo  a  meeting  of  Presby- 
tery, at  which  it  was  decided  that  Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing  leave  for 
America  as  soon  as  possible,  and  on  reaching  England,  put  him- 
self in  the  hands  of  the  secretary  of  the  Turkish  Mission  Aid 
Society,  for  the  purpose  of  making  addresses  on  the  conditions 
and  wants  of  the  Egyptian  field,  in  order  if  possible  to  secure 
from  that  society  larger  grants  in  aid  of  our  mission.     It  was 


IN  Egypt.  197 

also  decided  that  Rev.  A.  Watson,  after  visiting  the  Faiyum, 
leave  for  America  in  order  to  prevent,  if  not  too  late,  permanent 
injury  to  his  eyesight  which,  in  consequence  of  chronic  con- 
junctivitis, had  been  seriously  impaired  for  some  time.  Rev. 
Makhiel  el-Belyani  was  ordained  at  that  meeting  and  Dr.  Lans- 
ing and  Mr.  Currie  were  appointed  a  committee  to  induct  him 
into  the  pastorate  of  Kus  whenever  it  might  be  convenient. 

Dr.  Hogg,  of  course,  was  allowed  to  return  with  Miss 
McKown  to  Asyut,  with  instructions  to  pay  special  attention  to 
the  training  of  young  men  for  the  Master's  work.  Writing  on 
February  25,  to  Mr.  Currie,  who  did  not  attend  this  meeting 
of  presbytery.  Dr.  Hogg  says: 

"  Abdullah  Wesa  expects  to  return  with  us.  We  are  now 
waiting  for  a  favorable  wind.  The  men  have  been  engaged  for 
the  trip,  and  we  hope  to  take  our  things  down  to  the  'Ibis' 
to-morrow.  Mr.  Ibrahim  Yusef  and  his  aunt  are  also  to  come 
with  us.  We  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  Ibrahim's  parents  to 
consent  to  his  accompanying  us,  but  we  convinced  them  that  it 
would  be  best  for  them  and  him,  in  the  long  run,  to  allow  him 
to  prosecute  his  studies  for  the  ministry.  Father  Girgis  will 
follow  in  a  few  days.  He  is  also  to  study  for  half  a  year,  and 
by  that  time  we  hope  he  will  have  found  a  field  of  labor  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Kena  or  Sidfa.  Father  Buktor  and  his  friend 
Yacoob  are  also  to  study  with  us  for  one  session  just  now.  We 
also  expect  one  student  from  the  Faiyum,  and  another  to  be  his 
alternate  next  session.  We  think  of  taking  possession  of 
Ibrahim  Hallag's  part  of  our  old  house  for  one  family,  and  giv- 
ing up  the  part  we  formerly  occupied  to  the  girls'  school. 

"  Mr.  Strang  is  to  accompany  us  to  Asyut,  in  the  hope  that 
I  shall  be  able  during  the  voyage  to  assist  him  in  putting  the 
accounts  in  shape  for  the  past  year.  He  will  return  by  steamer, 
and  the  '  Ibis '  will  remain  in  Asyut  till  we  see  what  is  to  be 
done  about  Rev.  Makhiel's  induction." 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that  the  subject  which  occu- 
pied the  minds  of  the  missionaries  at  that  time  was  the  training 
of  natives  for  the  Lord's  work.  They  thought  that  it  would  be  an 
act  of  kindness  to  the  monks  who  had  attached  themselves  to 
our  cause  to  use  them  in  the  work,  especially  as  they  were 
disqualified  by  their  past  lives  for  securing  a  living  in  any  other 
way.  It  was,  indeed,  doubtful  whether  they  would  ever 
become  the  most  useful  pastors  on  account  of  their  lack  of  early 


igS  The  American  Mission 

training,  but  it  was  iioped  that  tiiey  would  for  a  time  do  good 
and  acceptable  work  for  the  Master  among  the  Copts.  Money- 
was  raised  from  travelers  interested  in  the  work  and  from 
friends  in  Great  Britian  and  America  for  their  partial  training 
in  the  theological  seminary,  and  so  we  see  from  Mr.  Hogg's 
letter  that  several  of  them  were  to  attend  the  classes  during 
the  year,  and  some  for  one  session  in  the  hope  that  thus  a  few 
native  workers  might  be  prepared  to  aid  in  the  work  which 
was  opening  up  in  all  directions.  In  the  end,  however,  it 
turned  out  that,  with  few  exceptions,  these  converted  monks 
had  learned  habits  of  idleness,  beggary  and  pride,  which,  with 
the  natural  aversion  of  the  people  to  an  excommunicated  per- 
son, and  a  person  who  had  broken  the  vows  of  celibacy,  ren- 
dered them  generally  unfit  for  teaching  others  the  way  of  sal- 
vation, and  for  work  of  any  kind  in  the  service  of  the  mission. 
After  a  prosperous  voyage  Brother  Hogg  and  company 
reached  Asyut  on  March  9,  and  next  day,  being  Sabbath,  he 
conducted  the  usual  public  worship.  He  found  an  audience  of 
more  than  fifty  v/ith  five  or  six  standing  outside.  After  spend- 
ing a  few  days  in  getting  his  house  in  order,  and  making  local 
arrangements,  the  girls'  school  was  reopened,  and  the  second 
week  Miss  McKown  had  seventeen  girls  in  the  school.  The 
theological  school  was  also  organized,  and  consisted  of  thirteen 
persons,  "six  of  whom,"  says  Mr.  Hogg,  "are  schoolboys. 
Two,  viz.,  Abdullah  Wesa  and  Makhiel  from  Temeh,  are  teachers 
in  the  boys'  school ;  three  are  monks,  viz.,  Aboona  Bashai, 
Aboona  Girgis  and  Aboona  Yacoob.  Then  add  Ibrahim  Yusef 
and  Aboona  Butros.  They  are  not  the  brightest  that  ever  sat 
at  the  feet  of  Rabbi  Gamaliel,  but  few  Gamaliels  since  Paul's 
time  ever  had  apter  pupils  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  than  mine  ar.e, 
1  assure  you.  We  meet  at  half  past  two,  Arabic  time.  Since 
Mr.  Currie  left,  I  spend  th^  first  half  hour  in  the  boys'  school, 
explaining  the  chapter  with  a  special  view  to  a  Muslim  sheikh 
who  is  present,  and  is  under  deep  religious  impressions.  We 
take  a  rest  for  a  few  moments  at  the  end  of  each  second  lesson, 
and  keep  at  work  till  about  midday.  We  have  worship  at  an 
hour  after  sunset,  attended  by  from  twenty  to  thirty.  Those 
belonging  to  the  theological  class  remain  for  half  an  hour  or 


IN   EGYPT.  199 

more  after  their  Arabic  grammar.  I  intended  tnat  the  sheikh 
should  teach  this  class,  but  some  of  them  know  grammar  better 
than  he  does,  so  I  have  to  take  it  myself." 

Scarcely  had  the  missionaries  begun  work  at  the  various 
stations  after  their  return  from  the  meeting  of  presbytery  in 
February  at  Cairo,  than  a  bitter  persecution,  planned  by  the 
Coptic  hierarchy,  with  the  aid  and  connivance  of  the  highest 
government  authorities,  began  to  be  carried  out  through  the 
Nile  valley,  with  the  object  of  rooting  out,  once  for  all,  Prot- 
estant heresy  and  preventing  the  spread  of  Western  ideas  of 
liberty,  and  driving  from  the  land  all  those  who  had  been  sow- 
ing its  seed  broadcast  during  the  preceding  years.  The  viceroy, 
Ishmael,  was  too  intelligent,  a  man  not  to  know  that  religious 
teachers  coming  from  free  countries  such  as  America  and  Scot- 
land would  teach  doctrines  and  principles  and  practices  whose 
direct  or  indirect  effects  would  be  to  set  in  a  more  glaring  light 
the  injustice  and  cruelty  with  which  he  treated  his  ignorant  and 
patient  subjects.  He  knew  well,  also,  that  these  teachers  were 
not  blind  to  what  was  practiced  by  his  subordinates,  in  order  to 
wrest  from  the  people  the  fruit  of  their  labors,  and  they  would 
not  be  restrained  by  personal  fear  from  the  use  of  their  pens  in 
describing  what  they  heard  or  saw  every  day,  in  the  letters 
they  wrote  to  their  friends  and  supporters  in  the  west.  Any 
direct  attack  upon  them  was,  however,  impossible,  as  he  knew 
the  power  of  the  consuls,  and  their  desire  to  get  an  opportunity 
to  show  that  power  and  gain  favor  at  home  by  the  protection  of 
their  countrymen  abroad.  He  found,  therefore,  in  the  very 
natural  opposition  of  the  Coptic  hierarchy,  and  their  ignorant 
and  superstitious  followers,  the  opportunity  to  use  governmental 
power  against  the  work  of  the  missionaries,  in  a  manner  that, 
while  sufficiently  guarded  to  protect  him  from  consular  inter- 
ference, would,  through  the  bigotry  and  animosity  of  the 
Coptic  priests,  be  sufficiently  effective  to  accomplish  the  end  in 
view.  Two  years  before  he  had  attempted  to  put  a  stop  to 
their  work,  and  partially  succeeded.  "  In  the  order  from  the 
head  of  the  government  then  to  the  sub-officials  throughout 
upper  Egypt  for  a  sweeping  levy  of  laborers  for  the  railway 
works,  it  was  set  forth  that  his  highness  had  been  informed 


200  THE   AMERICAN   MISSION 

that  numbers  of  the  Copts  had  been  drawn  by  the  burdens 
imposed  on  them  to  take  refuge  in  the  protection  of  foreign 
sects,  and  that  this  was  not  his  highness'  pleasure.  This  was 
understood  by  all  to  be  a  blow  to  the  mission  :  and  the  exemp- 
tion from  the  government  levies  which  had  been  enjoyed  by  the 
pupils  of  all  the  schools  since  the  days  of  Muhammad  Ali  was 
withdrawn  from  the  mission  schools  in  upper  Egypt.  The 
school  in  Asyut  was  in  consequence  almost  depleted.  Com- 
plaint was  made  of  the  proceedings  to  the  viceroy's  govern- 
ment, but  no  redress  was  obtained."*  Now,  however,  through 
the  hatred  and  jealousy  of  the  Coptic  priests  towards  the 
American  mission  he  found  the  circumstances  favorable,  and  so 
he  lent  his  aid  to  the  execution  of  more  stringent  measures. 
On  the  nth  of  March,  the  Coptic  Patriarch,  accompanied  by 
the  eloquent,  but  crafty  priest,  Feltios,  and  other  clergy,  left 
Cairo  in  a  government  steamer  lent  to  him  by  the  viceroy, 
ostensibly  to  visit  his  people  in  upper  Egypt,  but  really,  and  as 
all  his  attendants  averred,  to  crush  out  the  Protestant  heresy. 
Letters  were  sent  to  the  governors  of  the  provinces  to  supply 
the  Patriarch  with  an  escort  of  soldiers. 

After  leaving  Cairo  his  retinue  made  no  secret  of  the 
object  of  his  errand,  and  everywhere  used  the  great  argument 
that  all  who  became  Protestants  incurred  the  ill  will  of  the 
viceroy,  who  might  send  them  to  the  galleys,  and  seize  their 
children  for  soldiers,  the  latter  being  the  greatest  fear  of  the 
Egyptian  parents.  Stories  were  told  of  his  having  visited  the 
viceroy  and  the  viceroy  having  visited  him  when  on  the  eve  of 
parting,  and  of  their  spending  several  hours  together,  and  also 
of  the  viceroy's  mother  having  sent  ^1,250  to  him  and  asked 
him  to  pray  for  her  son.  Though  the  Egyptian  government  in 
an  official  communication  connected  with  the  Patriarch's  doings 
at  that  time,  represented  this  as  a  periodical  tour,  it  is  certain 
that  the  Copts  themselves  did  not  so  regard  it.  Undertaken  as 
it  was  in  the  beginning  of  the  great  Coptic  fast,  the  whole  pro- 
ceedings seemed  so  strange  to  the  Coptic  bishop  of  Asyut  when 
first  he  heard  it,  that  he  is  said  to  have  exclaimed,  "  What  are 
we  drifting  to  ?  Which  of  the  no  Patriarchs  who  preceded 
*  Mission  Report  for  1867. 


Q 


a 


oq 


Cq 


IN  EGYPT.  201 

him  was  ever  known  to  travel  during  the  holy  weeks  of  Lent  ? 
This  unholy  journey  bodes  no  good  to  him  nor  us." 

Nothing  of  special  importance  to  the  mission  occurred  on 
the  Patriarch's  tour  until  he  reached  the  towns  of  Abnub  and 
El  Hammam,  about  eight  miles  below  Asyut.  Here  he  summoned 
before  him  the  leading  Copts  and  addressed  them,  saying  he 
had  been  recently  informed  that  some  of  the  agents  of  the 
American  Mission  were  in  the  habit  of  visiting  their  towns  in 
order  to  disseminate  amongst  them  their  abominable  heresies, 
and  as  this  was  not  only  prejudicial  to  the  interests  of  the  Cop- 
tic Church,  but  was  also  displeasing  to  the  viceroy,  he  hereby 
gave  them  warning  not  to  bring  injury,  nor  pain  upon  them- 
selves, by  giving  any  further  countenance  to  such  persons. 

As  the  Patriarch  is  regarded  by  all  devout  Copts  as  the 
vicar  of  Christ  upon  earth,  and  is  called  by  them  "the  earthly 
Christ,"  or  "present"  Christ,  or  the  living  Christ,  so  on 
reaching  Asyut,  where  there  is  a  large  Coptic  population,  the 
procession  from  the  steamer  to  the  town  was  arranged  in  imita- 
tion of  our  Lord's  triumphal  entry  into  Jerusalem.  Seated  on 
a  donkey  and  preceded  by  priests  and  boys  bearing  crosses, 
flags,  palm  branches,  lighted  candles,  and  burning  censors, 
beating  on  cymbals  and  chanting  in  Coptic  as  they  went  along, 
"  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David,  blessed  is  He  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord,"  the  procession  moved  slowly  along  from 
the  river  up  to  the  town,  the  gathering  crowd  increasing  in 
length  and  in  density  every  minute,  until  it  had  all  the  propor- 
tions of  a  royal  cortege,  armed  soldiers  marching  in  front  and 
in  rear  by  order  of  the  government. 

After  arriving  at  the  Coptic  church,  and  receiving  the  con- 
gratulations of  the  officials  and  the  leading  men  of  the  town  and 
the  pillars  of  the  Coptic  church,  he  set  about  the  execution  of 
his  plans  for  intimidating  those  who  had  in  any  way  affiliated 
with  the  missionaries,  and  of  using  all  the  means  within  his 
power  of  rooting  out  their  heresies  and  scattering  the  little 
flock.  For  some  time  past  the  government  had  adopted  active 
measures  in  aid  of  the  Coptic  priesthood  in  their  endeavors  to 
break  up  the  mission  schools.  The  certificates  of  attendance 
given  to  the  children  of   the  fellahs  on  entering  the  Coptic 


202  The  American  Mission 

school,  which  had  previously  borne  the  signature  of  the  head 
master  only,  were  henceforth  vised  by  the  governor ;  and  as  a 
natural  consequence  the  sheikhs  of  the  villages  who  had  iiith- 
erto  respected  the  missionaries'  certificates  refused  to  do  so  any 
longer,  as  they  were  merely  stamped  with  the  mission's  seal. 
When  three-fourths  of  the  boys  had  gone  off  to  the  Coptic 
school,  and  the  efforts  of  the  missionaries  to  obtain  the  official 
visa  to  their  certificates  proved  fruitless,  Mr.  Hogg  called  upon 
the  deputy  governor  of  Asyut,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Wasif 
Girgis,  and  asked  him  if  it  were  true  that  an  order  had  come  to' 
the  governor  authorizing  the  making  of  this  distinction  between 
the  mission  school  and  that  of  the  Copts.  His  excellency 
denied  that  any  such  order  had  come  to  the  governor. 

"We  have  no  difficulty,"  said  Mr.  Hogg,  "in  convincing 
his  excellency  that  we  know  his  statement  to  be  false,  Mr. 
Wasif  having  seen  him  attach  his  official  visa  to  the  certificates 
of  the  Coptic  school  pupils,  which  he  had  refused  to  do  for  us. 
He  then  admitted  that  at  the  intercession  of  the  Patriarch,  the 
governor  had  signed  the  papers  of  some  boys,  but  added  that 
out  of  personal  respect  to  Mr.  Wasif,  as  well  as  to  show  that 
he  made  no  distinction  between  the  two  schools,  he  was  willing 
thereafter  to  vise  the  mission  certificates  also  ;  and  in  fact  two 
days  after,  Mr.  Wasif  obtained  his  official  visa  to  the  certificates 
of  all  our  boys,  only  nineteen,  who  then  remained  at  the  mis- 
sion school.  Such  was  the  state  of  matters  in  regard  to  the 
school  when  the  Patriarch  reached  Asyut. 

"  One  of  his  first  acts  after  reaching  Asyut  was  to  summon 
before  him  the  Coptic  priest  of  Beni  Aleig,  who  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  permitting  his  brother,  one  of  our  theological  students, 
to  conduct  the  evangelistic  service  in  his  church  at  the  close  of 
the  Coptic  mass  on  Sabbaths,  and  after  having  him  se\-crely 
beaten,  by  one  of  the  government  soldiers,  he  degraded  him 
from  his  priesthood  and  drove  him  out  of  his  presence.  Several 
persons  interceded  for  him,  but  the  Patriarch  said  he  was  a 
Protestant  at  heart,  and  that  he  had  already  corrupted  the  minds 
of  manv  of  the  people  of  the  place. 

"  The  mission  station  at  Asyut  was  still  in  its  infancy,  and 
we  had  to  struggle  from  tlie  first  against  the  determined  opposi- 


IN  Egypt.  203 

tion  of  the  bishop  and  the  clergy  of  the  town.  Many  persons 
knew  the  truth,  but  only  one  in  the  town  had  dared,  up  to  that 
time,  to  make  an  open  profession  of  his  faith  by  joining  the 
Evangelical  church.  This  individual,  Mr.  Wasif  Khayat,  being 
a  man  of  high  position  and  influence,  the  Patriarch  did  not  think 
it  wise  to  adopt  towards  him  the  measures  which  he  freely  used 
with  others,  but,  after  upbraiding  him  for  having  embraced  tlie 
religion  of  the  foreigners,  he  offered  to  secure  for  him  the  title 
of  bey  from  the  viceroy  if  he  would  return  to  the  Coptic  Church. 
Mr.  Wasif  replied  that  the  truth  was  dearer  to  him  than  empty 
titles  or  earthly  honors. 

"Although  the  Patriarch  could  do  little  to  injure  the  infant 
church,  he  could  do  much  to  injure  the  schools,  the  nurseries  of 
the  church,  and  these  he  determined  to  break  up  at  once  and 
forever  before  proceeding  any  further.  These  were  then  three 
in  number :  A  theological  academy,  for  the  training  of  native 
pastors  and  teachers,  attended,  as  we  have  seen,  by  thirteen 
young  men  ;  a  boys'  school,  which  before  the  Patriarch's  arrival 
had  seventy-five  names  enrolled,  the  pupils  being  chiefly  the 
children  of  peasants  in  the  neighboring  villages,  whose  sole  am- 
bition, as  far  as  the  love  of  learning  was  concerned,  was  to  be 
taught  to  read  and  understand  the  Scriptures,  but  whose  princi- 
pal aim  in  coming  to  school  was  to  be  exempted  from  the  gov- 
ernment levies ;  and  a  girls'  school,  under  the  direction  and 
instruction  of  Miss  McKown,  attended  by  Coptic  and  Muham- 
madan  girls  from  the  town  of  Asyut,  to  the  number  of  twenty 
or  more,  with  a  few  girls  from  the  villages  around,  who  boarded 
with  friends  in  the  town. 

"  Most  of  the  students  being  from  distant  provinces,  out  of 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  Asyut  authorities,  the  intrigues  of  the 
Patriarch  with  the  latter  failed  to  touch  them.  Three  of  these 
belonging  to  the  province  of  Asyut  had  been  publicly  cursed  by 
the  bishop  on  the  Sabbath  before  the  Patriarch's  arrival,  with 
a  view,  perhaps,  of  obtaining  his  paternal  benediction  for  his 
forwardness  and  zeal  in  the  common  welfare.  One  of  the  three, 
the  brother  of  the  Coptic  priest  already  mentioned,  had  often 
been  cursed  before,  and  cared  little  for  this  new  curse.  The 
other  two  had  never  been  publicly  cursed,  and,  though  they 


204  The  American  Mission 

took'  the  matter  lightly,  their  friends,  who  were  still  bigoted 
Copts,  took  the  public  disgrace,  brought  upon  themselves  thereby 
and  at  such  a  time,  so  much  to  heart,  that  they  laid  hold  of  one 
of  them  and  consigned  him  to  the  hands  of  the  Patriarch  on  his 
arrival,  and  obliged  him  to  accompany  the  Patriarch  during  the 
rest  of  his  tour,  and  back  to  Cairo.  They  waylaid  the  other  also, 
but  he  escaped  by  taking  refuge  in  the  mission  house,  and  con- 
cealed himself  there  until  the  Patriarch's  departure.  All  three 
of  them  were  formerly  Coptic  monks.  The  theological  seminary 
was  only  opened  the  week  before  the  Patriarch's  arrival  in 
Asyut,  and  he  was  probably  not  aware  of  its  existence  before ' 
leaving  Cairo  ;  but  it  was  quite  different  with  tlie  boys'  school, 
of  which  he  had  known  for  a  long  time,  and  which  he  had  been 
making  special  efforts  to  break  up  for  some  months  previous,  so 
that  on  reaching  Asyut  he  was  surprised  that  even  nineteen 
boys  remained  in  it. 

"  Messengers  were  sent  to  the  different  villages  to  which 
the  boys  belonged,  and  their  parents  were  summoned  to  appear 
in  Asyut  before  his  outraged  holiness.  After  upbraiding  them 
for  their  ingratitude  to  him  for  having,  through  his  influence 
with  the  viceroy,  secured  a  grant  of  land  which  had  enabled 
him  to  open  a  school  in  Asyut,  which  his  highness  had,  at  his 
instance,  taken  under  his  special  patronage,  by  granting  exemp- 
tion from  the  government  levies  to  all  children  of  the  peasantry 
attending  it ;  he  told  them  that  if  they  persisted  in  the  obstinate 
opposition  to  his  desires  in  this  matter,  they  would  have  cause 
to  repent  when  repentance  would  avail  them  nothing;  their 
sons  would  be  sent  to  the  army  or  the  railway  works,  and  they 
themselves  would  be  put  in  shackles  and  sent  to  the  galleys,  or 
banished  to  the  White  Nile.  Some  of  the  parents  of  the  boys 
belonging  to  the  village  of  Mutiah  had  the  courage  to  say  that 
their  boys  were  taught  not  only  to  read  but  to  understand  the 
Bible  in  our  school,  whereas  in  the  Coptic  school  they  merely 
repeated  their  lessons  in  parrot  fashion,  without  getting  any 
benefit  from  them,  and  that  for  this  reason  they  desired  that 
their  children  might  be  allowed  to  remain  where  they  were. 
This  brought  out  a  volley  of  vituperation  against  the  mission- 
aries and  their  doctrines,  which  led  to  a  discussion  between  the 


IN  EGYPT. 


205 


Patriarch  and  a  peasant,  named  Antonius  Shams,  as  to  what 
was  the  teaching  of  the  Word  of  God  on  the  questions  under  dis- 
pute between  the  missionaries  and  Copts.  Finding  himself 
sorely  pressed  in  the  presence  of  a  large  assembly  of  the  leading 
Copts  of  the  town,  the  Patriarch  was  going  to  end  the  parley 
by  sending  him  and  his  companions  off  to  prison,  when  the 
brother  of  the  American  consular  agent  for  Kena  interposed  and 
advised  him  to  use  lenient  measures.  He  then  addressed  An- 
tonius, and  said  that  he  had  no  doubt  he  was  a  .very  learned 
man,  but  much  learning  might  do  him  harm,  adding  that  if  any 
Protestant  movement  took  place  in  Mutiah  (the  town  in  which 
he  lived),  he  would  hold  him  and  the  blind  schoolmaster  respon- 
sible, and  they  would  be  summoned  to  answer  for  their  conduct 
in  Cairo. 

"Such  threats  and  intimidations,  coming  from  one  who 
was  regarded  as  the  envoy  of  the  viceroy,  could  not  fail  to 
strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  poor  fellahs ;  but  if  the 
government  officials  of  the  province  had  not  given  force  to  the 
threats  of  the  Patriarch  by  commencing  from  that  time  to  take 
special  pains  to  persecute  and  annoy  the  parents  of  the  pupils 
of  our  schools,  this  effect  would  have  been  but  temporary. 
No  one  knew  this  better  than  the  Patriarch  himself,  and  there- 
fore he  laid  his  plans  accordingly,  the  results  of  which  will  be 
related  after  following  him  through  his  tour.  He  remained  in 
Asyut  about  eight  days,  dined  every  day  in  succession  at  the 
houses  of  the  richest  Copts.  The  Sabbath  before  he  left  he 
ordered  a  patriarchal  haram,  or  bull  of  warning  and  denuncia- 
tion, to  be  read  in  the  hearing  of  the  people  assembled  in  the 
church,  and  its  reading  to  be  repeated  as  occasion  might  re- 
quire." 

A  copy  of  this  remarkable  document  lies  before  the  writer. 
It  was  composed,  it  is  supposed,  by  a  young  priest  named  Fel- 
tios,  who  received  some  training  in  Rev.  Lieder's  school  in 
Cairo.  It  is  full  of  misrepresentations  and  violent  vitupera- 
tions, but  it  is  well  conceived  and  well  calculated  to  effect  the 
end  intended.  Speaking  of  Miss  McKown's  girls'  school,  it 
says:  "But  the  girls,  bring  them  up  in  fear,  modesty,  and 
humility  in  your  own  homes,  and  deliver  them  not  into  the 


2o6  The  American  Mission 

hands  of  those  ravenous  ones  who  cause  them  to  drink  cups  of 
wickedness  instead  of  morality."  And  again,  in  referring  to 
our  allowing  converted  monks  to  marry,  it  says  :  "  They  de- 
ceive the  priest  who  has  become  a  soldier  for  Christ,  and  has 
vowed  chastity  and  celibacy,  and  strip  from  him  the  honor  of 
his  priesthood,  and  take  from  him  the  robe  of  chastity  and 
plunge  him  into  a  sea  of  lusts,  offering  him  certain  women  in 
the  semblance  of  marriage  of  those  women  whom  they  have 
caught  in  their  snares,  in  which,  as  we  have  before  said,  we 
fear  they  may  entrap  some  of  your  own  daughters.  Judge, 
Oh  !  my  wise  children,  whether  they  are  enlighteners,  or 
rather  preachers  of  darkness  of  their  own  lusts."  It  also  en- 
joined the  burning  of  all  books  issued  by  the  Beirut  mission 
press.  "  Shall  we  burn  this  one  too  ?  "  said  one,  showing  him 
a  large  copy  of  the  new  translation  of  the  Bible.  "  Heap  up 
the  fire,"  was  all  the  reply.  The  afternoon  of  that  Sabbath 
was  spent  in  collecting  and  examining  and  burning  Protestant 
books,  including  portions  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  an  act  done, 
perhaps,  for  the  first  time  in  Egypt,  and  done  in  the  nineteenth 
century. 

These  proceedings  ended,  the  Patriarch  left  Asyut  and 
sailed  south,  not,  however,  before  making  arrangements  for 
having  the  work  he  had  begun  carried  out  to  its  fullest  extent, 
which  will  appear  after  we  have  followed  the  Patriarch  and 
related  his  doings. 

The  Patriarch  left  Asyut  on  the  13th  of  April,  accompanied 
by  the  bishop  of  Abutig,  a  notorious  drunkard  and  despoiler  of 
his  people.  The  only  person  known  to  be  tinged  with  Protes- 
tant views  in  the  neighborhood  of  Abutig  was  a  Coptic  farmer 
of  some  influence  in  the  district.  Knowing  that  he  would  not 
obey  the  summons  if  they  sent  one,  the  Patriarch  and  bishop 
sent  a  special  envoy  in  the  person  of  a  monk  named  Makar, 
with  orders  to  overtake  them  in  the  upper  country  and  report. 
The  monk  remained  a  week  with  Mr.  Wahabeh,  day  by  day 
without  intermission  arguing  with  his  host,  but  finding  his  efforts 
at  converting  him  entirely  futile,  he  said  to  him  before  he  left 
that  the  Patriarch  on  hearing  of  his  obstinacy  would  report 
him  to  the  viceroy,  and  he  would  be  banished  to  the  White 
Nile  without  any  trial. 


IN  Egypt.  207 

"  On  the  22d  of  April,  the  Patriarch  and  party  arrived  at 
the  town  of  Ekhmim.  This  town  is  situated  about  half  way 
between  Asyut  and  Luxor,  and  ranks  next  to  Cairo  and  Asyut 
in  the  number  of  Christian  inhabitants,  chiefly  Copts.  It  had 
been  occupied  as  an  out-station  by  Girgis  Bishetly,  one  of  the 
elders  in  the  native  church  at  Cairo,  and  himself  a  native  of 
Ekhmim.  He  had  opened  ar  day  school  for  children,  and  an 
evening  Bible  class  for  adults.  A  few  weeks  before  the  Patri- 
arch's arrival  he  had  over  fifty  boys  in  attendance  at  the 
school,  and  was  so  fully  occupied  with  it  and  his  evening  class 
that  he  had  not  been  beyond  the  walls  of  his  house  for  several 
weeks.  Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  Patriarch,  a  soldier  and 
two  Coptic  sheikhs  were  sent  to  summon  him  into  the  presence 
of  his  holiness.  It  was  then  about  two  hours  before  sunset. 
He  knew  that  they  were  prepared  to  enforce  the  summons  if 
necessary,  and  he  therefore  obeyed  without  asking  explana- 
tions or  offering  any  resistance.  On  entering  the  bishop's 
house,  where  the  Patriarch  and  party  were  assembled  (the 
prefect  of  police  being  among  them),  Bishetly,  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  country,  stepped  forward  to  kiss  the  Patriarch's 
hand,  when  the  latter  gave  him  a  smart  slap  on  the  cheek,  and 
then  thundered  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  '  Seize  him  !  Away 
with  him,  drive  him  out  of  the  town  this  very  night;  and  if 
you  suffer  him  to  enter  again  I  will  excommunicate  every  one  of 
you.  If  he  refuses  to  go,  then  beat  him  till  he  dies,  and  cast 
his  body  into  the  Nile,  and  if  anyone,  even  if  the  viceroy  him- 
self calls  you  to  account  for  doing  so,  say  the  Patriarch  ordered 
it.'  I  need  not  tell  all  that  was  done  to  the  poor  man,  but  this 
much  I  may  add,  that  the  door  of  his  house  was  broken  open, 
and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  intervention  of  the  resident  Cop- 
tic chief  and  the  head  of  the  local  police,  the  latter  part  of  the 
Patriarch's  orders  would  have  been  carried  out  to  the  very 
letter.  By  the  intervention  of  these  parties,  however,  he  was 
allowed  to  remain  in  the  town  over  night,  and  next  morning  he 
and  his  son  voluntarily  left  for  Asyut  to  give  information  to  the 
missionaries  of  what  had  taken  place.  His  case,  and  matters 
connected  therewith,  will  be  taken  up  after  completing  the 
story  of  the  Patriarch's  movements," 


2o8  The  American  Mission 

The  Patriarch  thought  he  had  thus  succeeded  in  striking  a 
deadly  blow  at  the  root  of  Protestantism  in  Ekhmim,  and  pro- 
ceeded on  his  journey  up  the  Nile,  breathing  out  slaughter  and 
threats  against  the  little  band  of  disciples  that  had  been  gath- 
ered together  in  Kus.     In  Asyut  he  often  vowed  over  his  cups 
of  Arab  whisky,   which  were  neither  few  nor  far   between, 
that  he  would  make  an  example  of  the  heretics  of  Kus  to  all 
their  brethren  in  the  country,  and  boasted  that  he  could  put  a 
score  of  them  to  death  with  perfect  impunity.     On  his  arrival 
in  the  town  of  Kena,  the  chief  town  of  the  province  to  which 
Kus  belongs,  he  was  informed  by  the  agent  of  the  American 
consul,  himself  a  Copt,  that  the  American  consul-general  had 
sent  him  orders  by  telegraph  to  take  notice  of  what  might 
transpire   during  the   visit  of  his   holiness   and  report.     The 
Patriarch   pretended  to  feign   utter  indifference  to  what  the 
American  or  any  other  consul-general  might  think  of  his  pro- 
ceedings, yet  there  is  little  doubt  that  this  and  the  news,  that 
reached  him  at  the  same  time,  of  Mr.  Hogg's  visit  to  Ekhmim, 
had  the  effect  of  materially  altering  his  proposed  line  of  con- 
duct towards  the   Protestants  of  Kus.     He  was  more  easily 
induced  to  forbear  the  use  of  ultra  measures,  as  the  consular 
agent  referred  to,  along  with  the  agent  of  the  French  consulate, 
engaged  to  exert  all  their  influence,  which  was  by  no  means 
smalf,  to  bring  before  him  one  by  one  the  leading  men  of  the 
Protestant   church   of  Kus  and  to  induce  them  peacefully  to 
comply   with   his  desires.     Accompanied  by  them,  and  other 
leading  men  of  the  Coptic  sect  in  Kena,  he  steamed  up  to  the 
town  of  Nakadah,  which  is  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Nile, 
Kus  being  about  a  mile  inland  from  the  eastern  bank.     After 
two  days  had  been  spent  in  vain  attempts  on  the  part  of  the 
consular  agents  referred  to,  to  induce  the  leading  men  of  the 
evangelical  faith  in  Kus  to  appear  before  the  Patriarch  in  Naka- 
dah, the  latter  crossed  the  river  with  a  retinue  of  several  hun- 
dred persons  and  proceeded  to  Kus,  where  he   was  received 
with  great  honor  by  the  government  officials,  as  at  other  places 
on  the  way  up  the  country.     The  chief  of  these  officials  had 
two  weeks  previously  taken  the  names  of  all  the  Protestants 
and  forwarded  them  to  the  Patriarch  by  order  of  the  governor 


John  Hogg.  "D.  D. 


IN  Egypt.  2cg 

of  the  province  of  Kena.  He  had  also  put  four  of  them  in 
prison  on  the  pretence  that  they  were  subject  to  the  govern- 
ment levy  for  laborers  to  work  on  the  railway,  although  they 
had  enjoyed  exemption  from  all  previous  levies.  On  arriving 
at  the  Coptic  church  a  council  was  formed,  and  the  American 
consular  agent  went  in  person  to  the  house  occupied  by  Rev. 
E.  Currie  and  the  native  pastor-elect,  where  most  of  the  evan- 
gelical party  were  assembled  at  the  time,  engaged  in  fervent, 
united  prayer,  and  used  every  argument  he  could  think  of  to 
induce  Mr.  Fam  Stefanos,  the  father  of  the  sect,  to  pay  a  visit 
to  the  Patriarch.  He  pressed  specially  this  view  of  the  matter, 
viz.,  that  Fam  would  have  an  opportunity  of  discussing  his  re- 
ligious views  with  the  Coptic  boanergis.  Priest  Feltios  of  Tanta, 
and  if  he  (Fam)  gained  the  day,  then  all  the  people  would  join 
his  church. 

Fam  objected  that  that  was  not  the  way  to  preach  the 
Gospel,  and  at  first  refused  to  go,  but  on  his  being  assured  that 
he  would  be  allowed  equal  rights  with  the  champion  of  the 
Coptic  faith,  and  that  no  disrespect  would  be  shown  him,  he  at 
last  consented  to  enter  into  a  discussion  with  Priest  Feltios  in 
the  presence  of  five  members  of  either  sect.  Fam,  accompan- 
ied by  Mr.  Currie,  Father  Makhiel,  and  three  or  four  others, 
repaired  to  the  bishop's  house  at  the  hour  agreed  on,  i.  e.,  four 
P.  M.,  but  Priest  Feltios  had  not  yet  made  his  appearance.  A 
messenger  was  sent  to  call  him,  and  he  returned  and  stated 
that  he  was  asleep.  Another  man  was  sent,  who  brought  back 
a  message  from  him. stating  that  as  Father  Makhiel  was  to  be 
present  during  the  discussion,  and  he  had  been  often  anathe- 
matized by  the  Patriarch,  he  could  not  enter  the  same  house 
with  him  without  drawing  on  his  own  head  the  Patriarch's 
anathema.  Thus  he  backed  out  of  a  discussion  in  which  he  had 
but  little  chance  of  adding  to  his  laurels.  Our  friends  then 
left. 

"  Shortly  afterwards,  messengers  came  to  summon  four 
Protestants  by  name  to  appear  before  the  Patriarch  in  council. 
Two  of  those  summoned  being  in  the  employ  of  the  French 
consular  agent  of  Kena,  were  informed  that  if  they  refused  to 
obey  the  summons,  they  would  be  put  out  of  their  situations 
14 


210  The  American  Mission 

and  cast  into  prison.  They  all  declared  their  readiness,  as 
loyal  subjects  of  the  viceroy,  to  obey  any  legal  summons  to 
appear  in  a  government  court,  but  denied  the  assumed  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  Patriarch  over  them,  and  claimed  full  religious 
liberty.  Some  people  of  the  baser  sort  attacked  the  house  of 
one  of  the  four  persons  alluded  to,  and  kept  throwing  brick- 
bats at  the  door  and  windows,  etc.,  until  nine  or  ten  o'clock  in 
the  evening.     Thus  ended  the  first  day." 

"  On  the  following  day,  which  was  the  Sabbath,  May  12," 
says  Mr.  Currie    in   his  report  of  the  proceedings,  "several 
acts  of  violence  were  perpetrated  against  Protestants.     After 
the  usual  religious  services  in  the  mission  house,  and  when  the 
people   were   returning  to  their   homes,  one   of   the   soldiers 
attending  the  Patriarch  on  his  steamer  attacked  two  young  men 
on  learning  that  they  were  Protestants,  striking  one  of  them 
two  severe  blows,  and  seizing  the  other  tore  his  clothes  and 
thrust  him  to  the  ground.     About  the  same  time  two  friends  of 
the  Patriarch  went  to  the  house  of  Fam  Moosa,  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  church,  and  told  him  that  all  the  members  of 
his  society  had  gone  to  the  Patriarch,  and  that  he  must  go  too, 
and  when  he  refused  they  took  hold  of  him,  pushed  him  along, 
and  threw  him  on  the  ground  twice,  and  so  took  him  to  the 
Patriarch  against  his  will.     Others  were  taken  before  the  Pa- 
triarch in  a   similar    manner,  contrary  to   their   own   will   or 
through    fear,    and    compelled    to   renounce    Protestantism."' 
Then  again,  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  Antone  Matta 
was  passing  the  house  where  the  Patriarch  was,  when  one  of 
the  attendants,  having  a  green  palm  stick,  struck  him  a  severe 
blow  with  the  stick.     On  the  following  day  a  servant  of  the 
Patriarch  came  to  the   very  door  of  the   mission    house   and 
struck  a  young  man  who  was  about  to  enter,  and  then  seized 
him  by  the  throat,  when  Mr.  Currie,  being  in  the  house  and 
hearing  the  noise,  ran  down  and  drove  the  Patriarch's  servant 
away,  and  brought  the  young  man  into  the  mission  house. 

The  following  day  the  Patriarch  left  Kus,  having  failed  in 
his  ambitious  design  to  crush  the  Evangelical  church  and  to  put 
an  end  to  Protestantism  in  that  town,  but  vowing  his  deter- 
mination to  obtain  an  order  from  the  Egyptian  government  that 


IN  EGYPT.  211 

the  leading  Protestants  there  should  be  banished  to  the  White 
Nile. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  the  patriarchal  party  any  fur- 
ther, but  we  will  resume  the  recital  of  measures  continued 
after  his  departure  from  Kus,  in  execution  of  his  threats  against 
the  Protestants. 

Two  turners  belonging  to  the  Evangelical  church  of  Kus 
were  repeatedly  driven  out  of  the  weekly  market  of  Nakadah 
by  the  sheikhs  of  the  town,  and  a  woman  who  had  recently 
professed  her  faith  in  Christ  alone  for  salvation  was  beaten  by 
the  same  personage  with  a  whip  of  hippopotamus  hide  when 
on  a  visit  to  her  daughter  in  the  same  town,  and  about  2Cxd  of 
the  friends  and  retainers  of  this  sheikh  attacked  our  mission 
house  in  Kus  with  brickbats  and  other  missiles,  endangering  the 
lives  of  the  agents  of  the  mission.  These  things,  however, 
are  insignificant  when  compared  with  the  deep-laid  conspiracy 
which  was  formed  and  would  have  been  put  into  full  execution 
had  not  the  Lord  in  His  mercy  restrained  the  remainder  of 
wrath. 


212  THE  American  Mission 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Fam  Stephanos— His  character— Attempted  banishment— DeHverance  and 
return  home. 

The  chief  man  in  the  Evangelical  church  in  Kus  was  Mr. 
Fam  Stephanos,  an  old  man  and  the  father  of  a  large  family. 
I  will  never  forget  him  as  he  appeared  to  me  the  first  time,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Nile  in  the  winter  of  1866,  whither  he  had 
come  with  animals  to  meet  Mr.  Awad  Hanna  and  myself,  when 
making  an  evangelical  tour  up  the  river.  He  was  rather  tall,  of 
broad  shoulders,  fme  physique,  large  head,  long  beard,  and 
almost  kingly  bearing.  He  has  always  been  my  ideal  of  an 
Eastern  patriarch.  He  had  from  early  youth  been  in  the  service 
of  the  Egyptian  government,  and  as  tax-collector  of  the  town 
and  district,  his  integrity  and  fidelity,  in  a  land  where  such 
qualities  are  rare,  were  matters  of  wide  notoriety ;  so  that  his 
name  had  become  a  household  word  in  all  upper  Egypt  among 
those  who  loved  truth  and  righteousness.  While  the  patriarchal 
party  was  in  Kus,  the  most  strenuous  efforts  were  made  to  cor- 
rupt this  man,  but  proved  ineffectual.  The  Patriarch  caused 
the  Copts  of  the  town  to  write  a  paper  against  him,  as  a  cor- 
rupter of  the  public  morals,  with  the  intention  of  presenting  it 
to  the  viceroy,  in  order  to  have  Fam  banished  to  the  White 
Nile.  It  was  for  a  time  supposed  that  this  petition  had  been 
destroyed,  but  it  afterwards  appeared  that  the  design  had  not 
been  abandoned.  On  his  return  journey  the  Patriarch  had  a 
meeting  with  the  government  inspector  of  provinces,  and  the 
result  of  a  consultation  as  to  the  best  way  to  get  rid  of  this  old 
man,  was  the  inspector's  declaring  that  a  petition  from  the  in- 
habitants could  easily  procure  his  dismissal  from  his  present 
office,  and  that  then  the  government  could  be  easily  induced  to 
include  his  name  in  the  list  of  scribes  to  be  sent  to  the  White 


IN  EGYPT.  213 

Nile.  At  this  interview  it  was  understood  that  Fam's  banish- 
ment was  arranged,  and  the  missionaries  were  secretly  informed 
of  this  at  the  time.  Then,  however,  it  was  difficult  to  believe 
that  the  government  could,  or  would,  bind  itself  to  such  meas- 
ures, and  as  some  time  passed  without  anything  being  done, 
this  incredulity  seemed  to  be  warranted.  About  the  end  of 
August,  however,  this  same  inspector-general  visited  Kena,  and 
immediately  after  his  departure  it  became  the  general  belief, 
and  was  the  subject  of  ordinary  talk  among  the  scribes  of  the 
provincial  court  and  the  town,  that  Fam  of  Kus  was  to  be  sent 
to  the  Sudan.  A  fortnight  after  this,  he  was  summoned  to  the 
provincial  court  at  Kena,  on  the  occasion  of  a  periodical  redis- 
tribution of  appointments.  He  at  once  obeyed  the  summons, 
but  while  all  the  others  in  the  province  got  their  appointments 
at  once,  and  were  sent  off  to  their  new  posts  without  delay,  he 
was  kept  from  day  to  day  in  the  utmost  uncertainty  as  to  his 
future  location. 

In  the  good  providence  of  God,  it  happened  that  both  Mr. 
Hogg  and  Mr.  Currie  were  on  the  Nile  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Kus  at  this  juncture  of  affairs,  and  on  hearing  of  the  probability 
of  the  immediate  banishment  of  Fam  and  his  friends,  they  at 
once  hastened  to  Kena,  to  watch  the  progress  of  events  and  to 
do  all  in  their  power  to  prevent  the  outrage.  The  following 
letter,  penned  by  Mr.  Currie,  who  was  with  the  Kus  brethren 
all  through  that  time  of  trial,  gives  a  graphic  description  of  the 
sequel  of  this  narrative.  Writing  under  date  of  October  7, 
1867,  he  says: 

"  While  we  were  in  Luxor,  word  was  brought  to  us  that 
Uncle  Fam  and  two  others  of  our  brethren  were  to  be  sent  away 
to  the  Sudan,  still  we  hoped  it  might  be  prevented.  Upon  our 
arrival  in  Kena,  Brother  Hogg  presented  a  written  remonstrance 
against  the  plot  to  the  governor  of  the  province.  The  governor 
denied  that  any  such  order  had  come,  but  that  the  government 
would  do  as  it  pleased  with  its  own  subjects,  and  that  he  was 
just  the  servant  of  the  government,  and  could  only  execute 
whatever  orders  might  be  sent.  It  seemed  most  probable  from 
his  manner  that  he  knew  very  well  that  it  was  the  design  of 
the  government  to  grant  the  request  of  the  Patriarch,  especially 


214  The  American  Mission 

concerning  the  banishment  of  Uncle  Fam,  and  only  awaited 
orders  as  to  the  time.  Brother  Hogg  replied  that,  however  ab- 
solute might  be  the  control  of  the  Egyptian  government  over  its 
subjects,  there  was  one  thing  it  dare  not  do,  viz.  :  it  could  not 
act  directly  contrary  to  its  declaration  of  religious  toleration, 
and  that  we  only  asked  that  Protestants  should  be  treated  as 
the  Copts  were,  and  that  if  the  government  should  attempt  to 
send  Fam  to  the  Sudan,  it  would  be  for  no  other  reason  than 
that  he  had  become  a  Protestant.  Our  visit  to  the  governor 
was  on  Saturday,  the  27th  of  September 

"  Brother  Hogg  remained  till  the  following  Wednesday 
evening,  to  see  what  might  transpire,  but  the  wily  governor 
and  his  corrupt  Coptic  scribes,  children  of  the  man  of  sin,  gave 
out  that  Uncle  Fam  was  appointed  to  Esna,  only  about  sixty 
miles  above  Kus,  and  the  two  others  in  towns  near  to  Esna. 
Some  of  our  friends  actually  saw  the  written  order  to  that  effect. 
Hoping  that  this  might  be  true,  we  felt  somewhat  relieved. 
Uncle'pam  went  to  the  governor  and  asked  him  again  where  he 
was  to  be  sent.  The  governor  replied  that  he  was  appointed  to 
Esna,  and  told  him  to  bring  men  to  be  his  securities  for  a  certain 
amount,  and  he  would  seal  the  letter  of  his  appointment  to 
Esna.  Uncle  Fam,  so  long  known  for  his  integrity,  had  no 
trouble  in  getting  two  of  the  most  prominent  Muslims  in  Kus 
(who  happened  to  be  in  Kena)  to  give  their  names  for  the  re- 
quired security.  This  was  done  on  Wednesday  morning,  but^ 
the  day  passed  and  no  word  from  the  governor.  Brother  Hogg 
thought  he  could  not  remain  longer  away  from  Asyut,  as  there 
seem'ed  to  be  nothing  more  to  accomplish,  except  it  were  to  delay 
the  action  of  the  governor,  and  so  to  gain  time  that  our  letters 
might  reach  the  brethren  in  Alexandria,  if  the  telegrams  which 
we  had  sent  from  Luxor  had  not  done  so. 

"1  had  been  very  comfortable  with  Brother  Hogg  and  his 
family  on  the  '  Ibis.'  After  they  left  1  went  up  to  the  Wakaleh 
in  order  to  spend  the  night.  We  could  have  choice  of  sleeping 
on  the  roof  or  in  the  open  court,  or  outside  in  front  of  the  door. 
We  chose  the  last  of  these,  which  is  comfortable  or  uncomfort- 
able according  as  one  is  determined  to  be  pleased  and  contented, 
or  allows  himself  to  fret  and  be  discontented.   Fortunately,  1  had 


IN  EGYPT.  215 

before  spent  five  days  in  this  dingy  old  khan,  and  knew  how 
to  make  the  best  of  it.  Soon  after  we  had  spread  our  mats  and 
laid  down  under  our  bright-jeweled  canopy,  the  clear,  starry 
heavens,  Suleiman,  our  book  colporteur,  came  to  the  khan, 
having  arrived  with  his  wife  and  little  girl  in  the  small  boat 
called  '  The  Morning  Star.'  His  coming  so  soon  after  the  de- 
parture of  Brother  Hogg  seemed  to  be  a  favorable  providence 
to  us.  1  requested  him  to  remain  a  few  days  and  then  per- 
haps we  could  go  with  him  to  Kus  in  the  little  boat. 

"  On  the  next  day,  Thursday,  we  hoped  the  governor 
might  seal  Uncle  Fam's  appointment  to  Esna,  according  to  his 
promise,  but  he  did  not  come  from  his  house  to  the  divan  (or 
place  of  business)  at  all,  and  as  the  next  day  was  Friday,  the 
Muhammadan  Sabbath,  no  business  is  supposed  to  be  done. 
On  Thursday  evening,  while  Uncle  Fam  and  I  were  sitting 
with  Suleiman  on  '  The  Morning  Star '  after  sunset,  word  came 
to  us  that  the  scribes  who  were  to  be  sent  to  the  Sudan  from 
the  province  of  Asyut  had  arrived  in  Kena,  and  that  one  of 
them  was  the  brother  of  Yacoob,  accompanied  by  Yacoob  thus 
far.  He  noticed  '  The  Morning  Star '  and  came  to  us,  and  also 
his  brother,  as  he  had  given  the  soldiers  a  present  to  have  his 
irons  taken  off  to  enjoy  some  liberty.  We  had  prayers  with 
them  on  the  boat,  and  then  Yacoob's  brother  was  called  back 
by  the  soldiers  to  their  boat.  Soon  after  we  had  gone  up  to 
the  khan,  word  came  to  us  that  they  were  to  be  sent  off  that 
night,  and  Yacoob  had  only  time  to  run  and  bid  his  brother 
good  bye  before  the  boat  moved  off,  but  the  agents  of  the 
French  and  American  consulates  went  to  the  governor  and 
obtained  for  them  permission  to  return  and  remain  till  the  next 
day  ;  so  a  runner  was  sent  to  call  them  back  and  they  were 
allowed  to  remain  until  about  noon  on  Friday.  Still  no  word 
to  Uncle  Fam  from  the  governor  respecting  his  appointment  to 
Esna,  so  we  were  thus  left  in  doubt  about  it,  but  thought  that 
if  it  had  been  the  intention  to  send  him  to  the  Sudan  he  would 
have  been  imprisoned,  and  sent  with  the  others  on  the  same 
boat.  He  had  finished  his  business,  his  books  had  passed  a 
satisfactory  examination,  and  he  was  only  waiting  to  receive 
the  seal  of  the  governor  to  the  letter  appointing  him  to  Esna, 


2i6  The  American  Mission 

and  as  he  was  not  ordered  to  remain,  he  said  he  would  proceed 
to  Kus,  and  there  he  would  be  more  comfortable  until  the  gov- 
ernor sealed  his  appointment  and  sent  it  to  him  by  mail.  As 
we  were  to  go  at  midday,  it  would  be  well  known  to  the 
officers,  and  then  if  they  wished  him  to  remain  they  could  say 
so.  In  the  meantime,  while  the  other  scribes  for  the  Sudan,  of 
whom  I  have  spoken,  were  again  sent  off,  and  no  effort  was 
made  to  send  Uncle  Fam  with  them,  we  all  went  into  *  The 
Morning  Star,'  and  the  soldiers  said  nothing  to  us. 

"  When  we  were  two  or  three  miles  from  Kena  we  met 
the  boat  in  which  the  scribes  for  the  Sudan  were.  They  had 
been  ordered  back  again.  They  spoke  to  us  and  said,  '  Good 
news  has  come  '  (that  they  were  ordered  back  to  Asyut), 
but  they  were  deceived.  It  proved  that  they  were  ordered 
back  for  a  supply  of  bread,  as  they  had  not  been  furnished  by 
the  government  nor  allowed  an  opportunity  to  supply  them- 
selves with  necessary  provisions.  The  wind  failing  us,  we 
only  went  half  way  from  Kena  to  Kus  that  evening.  We  tied 
our  little  boat  to  the  shore,  and  spread  our  mats  on  the  bank  to 
give  Suleiman  and  his  family  room  to  sleep  in  the  boat.  '  We 
slept  sweetly  till  the  wind  came  up.  About  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning  we  arose,  and  got  into  the  boat  to  take  advantage  of 
the  breeze.  After  we  had  gone  only  a  few  miles,  a  runner 
from  the  governor  of  Kena  overtook  us  and  asked,  '  Is  Fam 
with  you  .?'  The  sailors  replied,  *  No,'  but  I  said  it  was  of  no  use 
to  deny  it.  Uncle  Fam  said,  '  Tell  him  I  am  here,  and  ask  him 
what  he  wants.'  After  the  usual  custom,  he  had  a  good  many  lies 
to  tell  in  few  words  ;  that  he  had  left  Kena  at  two  o'clock  at 
night,  and  had  run  all  the  way  to  Kus  and  thus  far  on  his  way 
back  to  bring  Uncle  Fam,  and  that  two  soldiers  were  coming 
behind  him.  His  fabrication  was  so  glaring  that  we  did  not 
believe  him,  but  asked  if  he  had  a  letter  from  the  governor  for 
Uncle  Fam,  to  which  he  replied  that  he  had.  When  the  runner 
came  near  the  boat  he  assumed  authority,  and  said  to  Fam  to 
take  his  baggage  out  that  he  might  go  back  at  once  to  Kena. 
Seeing  that  he  was  simply  the  bearer  of  a  letter  to  Uncle  Fam, 
I  replied,  decidedly,  '  No,'  to  his  command,  and  demanded  the 
letter  to  our  friend,  which  was  a  simple  summons  to  him  and 


IN   EGYPT.  217 

the  two  others,  Antone  Matta  and  Easily  Basada,  to  appear  in 
the  divan  in  Kena  ;  but  it  gave  the  runner  no  such  authority  as 
he  assumed  over  their  persons.  I  said  we  would  go  on  to  Kus 
and  return  to  Kena  that  evening,  for  it  seemed  most  probable 
that  it  would  be  the  last  opportunity  of  seeing  their  families 
that  our  friends  v/ould  have.  The  runner  consented  to  this  and 
took  a  seat,  and  went  with  us. 

"We  arrived  in  Kus  about  noon.  1  had  agreed  to  go  with 
them  in  case  they  should  be  banished,  if  I  would  be  allowed  to 
get  into  the  boat  in  which  they  were  to  be  sent.  Upon  our 
arrival  in  Kus  I  proceeded  to  pack  my  trunks  with  some  choice 
books  and  necessary  things  for  the  journey.  Uncle  Fam  and 
the  others  made  similar  preparations,  and  then  we  assembled  in 
the  usual  place,  and  had  a  very  solemn  season  of  prayer. 
After  this  the  people  of  the  town,  of  all  classes — Muslims  as 
well  as  Christians — crowded  around  the  honest  old  man  to 
honor  him  before  his  departure.  The  chief  sheikh  of  the  town 
gave  his  fine  white  donkey  for  him  to  ride  upon  down  to  the 
Nile.  Many  of  the  people  followed  us  down  to  the  river  on 
foot,  weeping.  Our  friend  entreated  them  to  restrain  their  feel- 
ings, return  to  the  town,  and  be  manly  and  cheerful,  but  many 
came  all  the  way  to  the  boat.  Then,  besides  the  exhortation 
which  he  ha'd  given  already  to  all  of  the  brethren,  that  they  con- 
tinue steadfast  in  the  faith  of  the  Gospel,  before  he  came  on  the 
boat  he  made  a  most  earnest  and  eloquent  appeal  to  them  not 
to  fear,  nor  to  be  cast  down,  and  not  to  be  silent,  but  to  be 
more  earnest  than  ever  in  preaching  the  Gospel  to  others, 
assuring  us  that  the  Lord  would  bless  his  cause  among  us  in 
Kus,  and  closed  by  repeating  with  great  emphasis,  *  The  Lord 
will  never,  never  forsake  those  who  trust  in  Him.'  It  was  after 
sunset  when  we  were  ready  to  go.  As  there  was  no  other  boat 
going  to  Kena,  some  who  wished  to  go  had  to  stay,  and  the 
rest  crowded  into  our  little  boat.  Suleiman  had  taken  his  fam- 
ily up  to  our  house  in  Kus  to  give  us  the  use  of  '  The  Morning 
Star.'     There  were  eighteen  of  us,  including  the  boatmen. 

"  The  runner  who  had  told  us  such  glaring  lies  thought  to 
take  a  place  in  the  boat  with  great  importance,  as  if  it  were  a 
matter  of  course  ;  but  his  airy  dignity  was  brought  down  when 


2i8  The  American  Mission 

he  was  informed  that  as  the  penalty  of  his  lying  he  was  allowed 
to  choose  between  two  alternatives,  either  to  exercise  his  un- 
derstanding in  a  starlight  walk  to  Kena,  or  to  exercise  his 
patience  in  waiting  to  take  a  boat  next  day.  He  however, 
pleaded  very  humbly,  and  was  allowed  to  go  with  us.  We 
arrived  at  Kena  at  ii  P.  M.  Some  went  to  sleep  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  and  the  rest  on  the  boat. 

-The  next  morning  (Sabbath)  after  prayers,  our   three 
friends  went  to  the  divan  to  report  themselves,  according  to  the 
summons  of  the  governor.     Those  of  us  who  remained  on  the 
boat  enjoyed  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  religious  conversa- 
tion, and  prayer.     The   scribes   of  the   divan   already  knew 
the  sentence  of  the  banishment  of   the   three    brethren,  and 
aloried  over  it,  but  for  the  purpose  of  deriding  them  feigned 
the  opposite.     The  chief  scribe  came  to  Uncle  Fam  as  though 
he  had  good  words  for  him,  and  asked  him  for  a  present,  say- 
ina   '  The  price  of  good  news,'  and  told  him  that  an  order  had 
come  by  wire  that  he  should  not  be  sent  away,  but  remain  in 
his  former  position.     It  was  put  in  such  a  plausible  way  that 
we  were  led  to  believe  what  we  fully  desired  might  be  true. 
We  were  much  surprised,  therefore,  when  the  nephew  of  Uncle 
Fam  came  to  our  boat  and  told  us  to  move  down  with  all  haste 
in  front  of  the  divan,  for  they  were  to  be  sent  off  immediately. 
We  pushed  our  boat  at  once,  and  soon  came  alongside  of  the 
boat  in  which  they  had  been  placed,  and  were   guarded    by 
three  soldiers.     While  the  rest  of  our  friends  were  busy  taking 
the  thinas  from  our  boat  to  the  one  in  which  Uncle  Fam  and 
his  companions  were  to  be  sent  away,  he  stepped  over  on  'The 
Morning  Star,'  and  came  in  to  talk  with  me  a  minute,  but  the 
soldiers  ordered  him  back  in  a  very  brutal  manner.     Unc  e  ham 
then  requested  of  the  principal  soldier  that  1  might  be  allowed 
to  accompany  them,  but  his  request  was  refused.     After  this,  1 
stepped  over  on  their  boat  and  asked,  as  politely  as  1  could,  per- 
mission of  the  guard  to  go  in  and  talk  to  Uncle  Fam.     He  did 
not  refuse.    This  gave  us  time  to  exchange  a  few  words,  spell- 
in-  out  the  words  we  did  not  wish  the  soldiers  to  understand 
Uncle  Fam  renewed  his  request  to  the  principal  soldier  that  1 
might  be  allowed  to  go  with  them  if  only  to  Kus,  but  he  sul- 


IN   EGYPT.  219 

lenly  refused,  and  went  away  into  the  next  room,  as  if  he  were 
impatient  at  my  presence.     The  governor  had   observed  me 
when  I  went  into  the  boat,  and  sent  for  Fam  to  go  to  the  divan, 
where  he  asked  him  why  I  had  come  on  to  the  boat.     He  re- 
plied that  1  was  a  friend  who  wished  to  go  with  them.     The 
governor  said  I  could  not  be  allowed  to  do  so,  that  the  boat 
must  move  off  immediately,  and  sent  three  more  soldiers,  mak- 
ing a  double  guard.     It  was  my  intention  to  take  my  trunks 
out  of  '  The  Morning  Star,'  put  them  in  the  first  boat  to  Kus, 
and  allow  Yacoob,  the  second  son  of  Uncle  Fam,  and  another 
of  our  brethren  to  proceed  with  all  haste  to  Aysut  in  our  boat, 
that  word  might  be  given  to  Brother  Hogg,  who  would  inform 
the  English  consul-general  and  the  brethren  in  Alexandria,  that 
they  might  also  inform  the  American  consul-general  of  this  out- 
rage upon   Protestantism  and  cowardly  tyranny  towards   an 
honest  man.     Yacoob  and  his  companions  were  then  to  go  on 
to  Cairo  by  railway  from  Minya  to  present  the  case  to  the 
viceroy.     So  when  the  boat  in  which  our  friends  were  moved 
off,  we  also  moved  up  the  river  with  equal  haste,  that  I  might 
get  into  another  boat  and  go  on  to  Kus  to  allow  Yacoob  and  his 
companions  to  proceed  down  the  river  as  soon  as  possible.     The 
governor  seeing  that  we  were  keeping  alongside  of  their  boat, 
sent  another  squad  of  soldiers  along  the  bank  to  watch  our 
'  movements,    as    though   a  tall,   slender   missionary,   without 
sword  or  staff,  were  likely  to  attack  and  overpower  six  Turkish 
soldiers  armed  to  the  teeth.     Such  is  the  cowardice  of  fearful 
tyranny.     Soon,  however,  we  saw  a  little  grain  boat  going  to 
Kus  and  hailed  it.     While  I  was  getting  my  things  into  the 
grain  boat,  the  boat  in  which  the  prisoners  were  had  time  to 
get  some  distance  ahead  of  us,  and  the  soldiers  on  the  bank 
proceeded  no  further.     But  Uncle  Fam,  having  noticed  them, 
feared  that  if  I  did  not  remain  in   '  The  Morning  Star '  with 
Yacoob  and  his  companions  the  government  might  stop  them, 
and  not  allow  them  to  go  to  Asyut.     He  managed  to  get  per- 
mission for  his  eldest  son,  who  was  going  with  him,  to  land  and 
run  back  to  speak  a  word  with  us.     He  came  to  tell  me  that 
his  father  requested  that  I  should  remain  in  '  The  Morning  Star' 
and  proceed  in  it  to  Asyut.     Suleiman  had  then  to  run  and 


220  The  American  Mission 

overtake  the  other  boat,  which  with  a  light  wind  was  moving 
slowly  up  the  river.  I  soon  had  my  things  put  into  '  The  Morn- 
ing Star '  again,  and  not  having  much  wind  against  us,  our  liglit 
boat,  with  the  current  and  the  oars  of  two  sturdy  boatmen,  soon 
glided  down  the  river  past  and  out  of  sight  of  Kena. 

"  It  was  about  two  o'clock  P.  M.  when  we  left  the  grain 
boat,  in  which  the  rest  of  our  friends  returned  to  Kus  to  their 
homes,  to  tell  the  sad  news  to  many  who  had  long  looked  to 
dear  old  Uncle  Fam  for  counsel  and  instruction.  Though  it 
was,  perhaps,  not  more  than  half  an  hour  from  the  time  the  word 
reached  us  that  our  friends  were  to  be  sent  away  till  the  treach- 
erous deed  was  accomplished,  instead  of  being  discomfited  at 
the  sudden  change  from  the  report  that  the  falsehearted,  drunken 
scribe  had  told  our  friend,  to  the  order  for  his  banishment,  it 
only  afforded  an  opportunity  for  the  moral  heroism  of  his  strong 
trust  in  God  to  rise  to  its  true  grandeur.  So  full  was  the  sup- 
port granted  to  him  that  his  calm  Christian  courage  both  aston- 
ished himself  and  abashed  his  enemies,  and  seemed  prophetical 
of  the  triumph  of  moral  courage  against  brute  force — the  token, 
too,  of  the  triumph  of  the  kingdom  of  righteousness  and  peace 
over  the  powers  of  darkness.  His  resignation  to  this  seemingly 
adverse  dispensation  of  Divine  providence  seemed  to  be  as  full 
as  though  the  Master  had  chosen  him  to  be  a  martyr  to  the 
truth,  and  so  to  finish  his  testimony." 

The  boat  containing  the  prisoners  of  the  Lord  moved  up 
the  river  until  it  reached  the  bank  near  to  Kus,  and  there  it  was 
met  by  a  large  company  of  the  friends  and  acquaintances. 
What  a  scene  there  was  then  !  The  pastor-elect  in  describing 
it  said,  in  a  letter  written  at  the  time  :  "  The  women  were 
weeping,  and  the  men  were  lamenting,  and  the  enemies  were 
mocking,  cursing  and  blaspheming,  threatening  the  people  of 
the  church  with  certain  destruction,  saying,  '  Your  mainmast 
has  gone,  and  now  your  boat  will  be  broken  into  pieces.'  " 

They  continued  their  lamentations  for  many  days,  and  on 
account  of  the  extreme  fear,  many  of  the  people  did  not  eat  or 
drink  or  sleep  at  night.  They  heard  from  their  enemies,  and  espe- 
cially from  the  priests  of  the  Coptic  Church,  that  "  Our  lord  the 
Patriarch  had  spoken  to  the  effendina  [the  vicero>]  for  him  to 


IN  EGYPT.  221 

send  soldiers  to  the  town  under  an  officer,  and  that  they  would 
give  the  women  to  the  soldiers,  and  the  men  they  would  send 
to  the  White  Nile,  and  the  young  men  they  would  put  into  the 
army.  When  they  heard  these  frightful  rumors  they  were 
frightened  almost  to  death." 

Mr.  Currie  and  his  party  hurried  down  the  river  in  ''The 
Morning  Star,"  saw  Mr.  Hogg  in  Asyut,  then  hastened  on  to 
Ramleh,  where  most  of  the  missionaries  were  at  the  time,  and 
immediate  action  was  taken  to  secure  the  good  offices  of  the 
American  and  British  consular  authorities.     Application  was 
made  to  Mr.  Hale,  the  consul-general  for  the  United  States,  and 
a  full  statement  of  the  case  presented  to  him.     Indeed,  he  had 
all  along  been  kept  informed  of  the  character  of  the  persecution, 
and  he  had  lodged  a  protest  immediately  on  receipt  of  the  intel- 
ligence from  the  missionaries  that  the  banishment  of  Fam  and 
his  companions  was  designed  and  arrangements  for  its  execu- 
tion were  being  made.     This  protest  was  sent  by  wire  to  the 
viceroy,  and  is  known  to  have  reached  him  on  the  23d  or  24th 
of  September.     It  was  expressed  in  very  strong  terms,  and  was 
to  the  effect  that  if  the  men  were  actually  sent,  the  Egyptian 
government  would  thereby  incur  the  displeasure  of  the  govern- 
ment he  represented. 

This  protest  seemed  to  have  little  or  no  effect,  for,  in  spite 
of  this,  nearly  a  week  after,  Fam  and  his  party  were  actually 
sent  off.     Upon  hearing  this,  Mr.  Hale  informed  the  viceroy 
that  it  would  be  his  duty  to  lay  the  whole  case  before  the  gov- 
ernment in  America  and  ask  for  instructions.     Taking  up  the 
case  in  its  bearing  on  religious  toleration,  and  on  that  account 
falling  as  much  within  the  jurisdiction  of  Great  Britain  as  of  the 
United  States,  Mr.  Reade,  the  acting  consul-general  of  her  maj- 
esty, on  having  a  statement  of  the  facts  put  before  him,  at  once 
made  it  the  occasion  of  a  personal  interview  with  the  viceroy 
himself.     This  was  after  the  men  had  been  sent  away  and  in- 
telligence of  the  fact  had  reached  Cairo.     His  highness  seemed 
to  know  of  the  case,  and  at  once  denied  that  they  had  been 
sent  to  the  Sudan,  reserving  all  considerations  of  his  rights  to 
send  them  there  or  elsewhere  if  he  so  desired.     He  further  dis- 
claimed the  presence  of  any  religious  motives  in  their  treatment ; 


222  The  American  Mission 

all  religion,  he  said,  being  the  same  to  him,  and  therefore  he 
would  have  no  interest  in  their  mutual  differences.  Still  the 
case  was  undergoing  investigation,  and  Raghib  Pasha,  in  whose 
department  it  lay,  would,  his  highness  did  not  doubt,  be  able  to 
give  him  all  the  explanations  he  desired.  In  the  course  of  a 
few  days,  Raghib  Pasha  was  visited,  but  with  him  it  was  the 
old  story  on  the  general  question  of  religious  toleration,  but  no 
propagandism.  In  this  particular  case  there  was  no  such  thing 
as  persecution  in  it.  There  might  be  hardships,  but  it  was 
being  looked  into,  and  justice  would  eventually  be  done.  In 
the  meantime,  and  while  the  boat  carrying  the  brethren  slowly 
moved  up  the  Nile,  there  was  continuous  and  united  prayer  to 
the  God  of  providence  and  the  King  and  Head  of  the  Church  to 
deliver  His  prisoners  from  their  imminent  peril,  it  being  dis- 
tinctly understood  that  in  their  case  banishment  to  the  White 
Nile  meant  either  death  as  soon  as  they  got  beyond  the  limits 
of  civilized  society,  or  separation  for  life  from  their  homes  and 
families. 

Mrs.  Lansing,  writing  from  Ramleh  at  the  time,  says  in 
one  of  her  letters  :  "  Such  days  as  the  present  we  have  never 
seen  in  Egypt.  So  largely  have  we  hitherto  shared  the  Divine 
favor,  and  so  greatly  have  we  been  blessed  in  every  depart- 
ment of  our  work,  that  we  had  fondly  hoped  the  spirit  of  bitter 
persecution  would  not  be  so  aroused  as  to  excite  alarm  or  anx* 
iety,  nor  could  we  feel  that  any  of  God's  hidden  ones  will  be 
hunted  out  with  cruel  hands,  torn  from  family  and  friends,  and 
all  that  is  dear,  and  exiled  to  the  burning  sands  of  the  interior 
of  this  dark  continent.  No !  we  could  not  feel  this,  although 
from  the  wrongs  and  oppressions  and  repeated  outrages  of  the 
last  few  months,  there  had  been  abundant  reason  to  fear  that  a 
severe  ordeal  awaited  all  who  had  left  their  mother  Church  and 
assumed  the  Protestant  name.  As  impending  troubles  increased 
we,  however,  have  often  been  cheered  at  the  faith  and  courage 
of  our  dear  brethren  and  sisters,  and  their  willingness  to  suffer 
for  the  master's  sake.  Brother  Currie  came  the  day  before 
yesterday  from  Kus,  and  to-morrow  sets  his  face  again  towards 
the  upper  country,  and  thence  to  the  White  Nile  to  o\'ertake,  if 
possible,  our  poor  brother  Fam  and  his  party  to  comfort  them 


IN  EGYPT.  223 

in  their  exile,  and  to  share  their  tribulations.  A  native  friend 
will  accompany  him,  and  we  trust  his  mission  may  be  success- 
ful. So  great  was  the  affection  of  Uncle  Fam's  sons  for  their 
revered  father,  that  the  eldest  left  his  home  and  went  with  him, 
lest  some  evil  should  befall  him,  and  another  came  here  with 
Mr.  Currie,  with  a  petition  to  the  viceroy,  bringing  a  relative 
with  him.  They  have  been  staying  with  us  here  in  Ramleh, 
and  our  hearts  have  been  greatly  drawn  out  to  these  poor,  tried 
men  in  sympathy  and  prayer,  and,  although  the  tear  often 
moistens  the  eye  as  they  think  of  the  loved  one  so  cruelly  borne 
away,  and  fear  a  terrible  fate,  still  it  is  amazing  to  see  how 
wonderfully  they  are  sustained,  and  how  faith  and  grace  tri- 
umph." 

While  the  missionaries  were  doing  their  utmost  with  con- 
sular and  other  authorities  to  secure  the  liberation  of  the  ban- 
ished party,  and  they  and  the  whole  company  of  believers  were 
wrestling  with  the  Lord  in  prayer  without  ceasing  for  His  bless- 
ing upon  the  efforts,  or  for  the  manifestation  of  His  will  for 
their  deliverance  in  some  other  way,  and  for  grace  to  sustain 
them  and  the  infant  Protestant  Church  in  Egypt  in  all  their 
trials,  the  boat  carrying  the  prisoners  was  on  its  way  up  the 
valley.  *'  It  left  Kena,"  says  Mr.  Currie,  "  on  Sabbath,  Sep- 
tember 29,  but  owing  to  adverse  or  insufficient  winds,  it  did  not 
reach  Esna,  eighty  miles  off,  until  the  following  Friday.  On 
reaching  that  town  the  officers  in  charge  objected  to  stopping, 
but  the  captain  of  the  boat  insisted  that  it  was  necessary,  in 
order  to  buy  bread,  which  the  unusual  hurry  of  their  departure 
had  prevented  them  from  providing  at  Kena.  No  sooner  was 
the  dahabia  moored,  than  the  wharf  inspector  communicated  an 
order  that  it  was  to  proceed  no  farther  in  the  meantime.  The 
soldier  in  command  was  by  no  means  satisfied  with  such  a  com- 
munication, and  not  ffven  the  confirmatory  repetition  of  it  by  the 
chief  magistrate,  then  in  Kena,  reconciled  him  to  yield  obedi- 
ence." The  explanation  of  this  hesitancy  was  simply  the  fact 
that  the  governor  of  Kena  had  charged  him  before  his  departure 
that  on  no  account  was  he  to  stop  till  he  reached  Aswan,  where 
the  first  cataract  forms  a  natural  break  in  the  river  navigation, 
and  not  until  he  had  telegraphed  to  Kena  and  received  a  coun- 


224  The  American  Mission 

termand  from  the  same  quarter,  would  he  yield  up  his  charge. 
When  the  answer  did  arrive,  the  prisoners  were  transferred  to 
the  court  of  the  prison,  and  after  a  day  or  two  the  boat  was 
ordered  back.  The  party  were  not  literally  put  into  the  prison 
itself,  but  there  is  not  much  difference  between  that  and  con- 
finement in  a  court,  without  permission  of  egress,  even  though 
it  be  modified  by  the  admission  of  friends.  Here  they  remained 
for  twenty  days. 

About  the  end  of  October  appeared  the  practical  issue  to 
the  efforts  made  by  the  consular  authorities,  and  more  especially 
by  the  earnest  efforts  of  Mr.  Reade,  acting  consul-general,  and 
the  answer  to  the  incessant  prayer,  in  the  liberation  of  the 
men  from  prison  and  liberty  to  return  to  their  homes.  Great 
was  the  joy  in  the  hearts  of  their  families  and  relatives  on  their 
return,  earnest  and  hearty  were  the  thanksgivings  offered  to 
the  merciful  Lord,  who  had  this  time  also  heard  the  cries  that 
had  arisen  to  heaven  on  their  behalf. 

It  seems  proper  here,  however,  to  add  that  all  through  this 
case,  contrary  to  the  usual  practice  of  the  government,  there 
had  been  a  persistent  avoidance  of  written  orders  or  directions, 
so  in  the  return  of  the  friends  to  their  homes  no  explanation 
was  given,  and  the  same  policy  of  non-committal  was  followed. 
Nothing  was  done  or  said  which  gave  them  the  slightest  security 
against  being  taken  and  sent  away  the  next  day. 


Mission   Building  at  Mansoura. 


IN  Egypt.  225 


.  CHAPTER  XV. 

Resumption  of  story  of  troubles  in  Asyut  school — Forced  labor  described — 
Pupils  in  schools  exempted — Duty  of  seeing  exemption  carried  out  impartially — 
Case  against  the  sheikhs  of  Sahil  Salem — Boys  frightened,  except  Iskaros — Iska- 
ros  plied  by  flattery  and  threats  in  turn— Stands  firm — Is  bastinadoed— Finally 
set  free — Case  of  Bishetly  taken  up — Crooked  action  of  local  authorities — Con- 
sular interference  accomplished  little  in  the  case,  but  good  effect  in  the  future — 
Opposition  in  various  places — God's  Word  not  bound — Meetings  in  Mutiah^ 
Work  in  Alexandria,  Faiyum,  Cairo— Great  credit  due  to  Dr.  Lansing. 

Having  thus  finished  the  story  of  Uncle  Fam  and  his  com- 
panions, I  will  take  up  the  persecutions  continued  at  Asyut  and 
Kus  after  the  departure  of  the  Patriarch's  party  from  these 
towns. 

Shortly  after  his  departure  from  Asyut,  the  boys  returned 
to  school  and  informed  the  missionaries  that  the  sheikhs  of  their 
villages  now  refused  to  respect  their  certificates  even  though 
vised  by  the  governor,  and  that  they  had  asserted  that  unless 
they  left  the  mission  school  and  went  to  that  of  the  Copts, 
they  would  be  sent  off  forthwith  to  work  on  the  new  railway. 
Now,  as  most  of  these  sheikhs  were  Muslims,  and  had  there- 
fore no  reason  from  religious  motives  to  interfere  between  two 
Christian  sects,  it  was  clear  that  they  were  acting  at  the  insti- 
gation of  the  government. 

Mr,  Hogg  then  wrote  a  letter  on  the  subject  to  the  head 
official  in  the  Abutig  district,  to  which  one  of  the  sheikhs  be- 
longed, and  made  a  personal  call  on  Hamman  Bey,  from  whose 
village  half  the  boys  came.  By  both  these  officials  the  sheikhs 
were  reprimanded,  and  orders  were  given  to  allow  the  boys  to 
go  to  which  ever  school  they  chose.  Mr.  Hogg  then  having  to 
leave  for  Ekhmim,  on  account  of  the  persecutions  there,  and 
being  absent  three  weeks,  found  on  his  return  the  mission 
school  completely  broken  up,  all  the  boys  having  gone  off  to 
the  Coptic  school 
15 


226  THE   AMERICAN   MISSION 

'•To    understand    the    following    narrative,  it    must    be 
remembered  that  the  system  of  forced  labor  existed  then  to  a 
larae  extent  in  Egypt.      Marvelous  at  that  time  was  the  rapid- 
ity'with  which  public  works  were  executed,  and  particularly 
the  railway  system  developed ;  so  that  within  a  few  years  the 
whole  land  of  Egypt  was  intersected  with  main  Imes,  to  which 
ever  since  new  branches  have  bsen  added.     All  these  works 
before  the  British  occupation  were  constructed  by  forced  labor, 
and  the  rapidity  of  execution  is  rendered  conceivable  by  the 
fact  that  at  some  places  no  fewer  than   16,000  persons  were 
employed  at  one  time."     The  manner  of  collecting  these  work- 
men was  simple  and  effective.      The  order  was  sent  to  the 
governor  of  a  particular  province  for  a  certain  number  of  men, 
then  transmitted  by  him  to  the  inspectors  of  the  various  dis- 
tricts under  his  jurisdiction.     They  in  turn  allotted  to  particular 
villages  the  numbers  demanded  from  them,  and  if  the  prescribed 
quota  was  not  forthcoming  at  the  appointed  time,  the  sheikhs, 
or   chief  men,  of   the   delinquent  villages   were  compelled  to 
show  good  reason,  or  woe  to  their  liberty  and  their  lives,  and 
sometimes  good  reasons  were  taken  little  into  account.     Old 
men  and  young  were  thus  compelled  to  go,  no  matter  what  their 
circumstances  or  the   nature  of  their  employment.      Persons 
miaht  be  in  the  midst  of  their  harvesting  when  the  dread  order 
from  the  government  was  received,  and  every  able-bodied  male 
was  obliged  to  turn  out,  even  though  their  own  crops  might  be 
left  to  wlste  under  the  burning  rays  of  a  tropical  sun.     More 
than  this,  they  were  not  only  unremunerated  for  the  labor  they 
were  thus  forced  to  perform,  but  they  had  to  provide  their  own 
food,  and  sometimes  these  poor  people  were  under  the  neces- 
sity  of  begging,  and  when  that  failed   of  stealing    whatever 
they  could  to  make  up  their  needed  supplies.     In  many  cases 
the  very  baskets  and  picks  had  to  be  brought  by  the  men  from 

their  homes.  . 

Under  a  despotic  system  like  this,  which  was  carried  out 
in  the  most  cruel  manner,  and  often  with  great  partiality,  it 
will  readily  appear  that  if  by  attendance  at  school  the  poor 
peasant  could  have  his  boy  exempted  from  such  servitude,  he 
would  eagerly  avail  himself  of  such  means  of  deliverance,  and 


IN   EGYPT.  22  7 


it  will  be  evident  that  a  school  that  could  not  offer  such  protec- 
tion would  have  had  slender  chance  of  success  (compared  to 
one  which  could  promise  it),  however  great  might  be  its  educa- 
tiona-1  advantages.    It  was,  therefore,  essential  to  the  prosperity, 
if  not  to  the  very  existence,  of  the  mission  schools  that  they 
be  placed  on  an  equal  footing  in  this  respect  with  all  other 
educational  establishments  in  the  country,  and  if  the  status  was 
verbally  conceded,  it  behooved  the  missionaries  to  insist  on  the 
privileges  therein  implied  being  faithfully  respected.     Finding, 
therefore,  that  during  his  temporary  absence  at  Ekhmim,  even 
the  few  boys  who  had  remained  in  the  school  up  to  the  time  of 
the  Patriarch's  visit,  and  had  been  provided  with  regular  gov- 
ernment  certificates,  hadbeenrefused  the  privileges  which  these 
ought  to  have  secured  to  them,  Mr.  Hogg  lodg'ed  a  complaint 
before  the  local  authorities.     The  remainder  of  the  narrative 
will  be  given  in  Mr.  Hogg's  own  words,  as  presenting  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  manner  in  which  judicial  investigations  were  con- 
ducted in  Egypt  in  those  days,  and  affording  abundant  proof  of 
the  complicity  of  the  government  in  the  opposition  which  the 
mission  then  encountered  on  every  hand. 

Mr.  Hogg  says:  "Instead  of  lodging  a  general  complaint 
against  all  the  sheikhs  who  had  ostensibly  disobeyed  the  orders  of 
the  governor  and  frightened  the  boys  away  from  the  mission 
school,  I   thought   best  to  take   up  one  particular   case,  and 
selected  that  of  the  boys  from  the  Sahil  Salem  village.     This  I 
did,  not  because  the  sheikhs  of  that  village  were  more  culpable 
than  the  others,  but  because  one  of  the  boys,  named  Iskaros 
Masood,  belonging  to  the  village,  had  been  a  member  of  my 
class  in  theology,  and  being  a  young  man  of  piety  and  an  earn- 
est student,  and  possessed  of  considerable  firmness  withal,  I 
was  sure  that,  when  confronted  with  the  sheikhs  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  governor  of  the  province,  he  would  not  suffer  him- 
self to  be  browbeaten  and  intimidated  by  the  frowns  of  the 
sheikhs,  and  would  be  able  to  prove  the  truth  of  his  charges 
were  an  opportunity  granted  him.     He,  moreover,  having  noth- 
ing to  learn  in  the  other  school,  was  the  more  anxious  to'^return 
to  ours,  in  proof  whereof  I  may  state  that  when  he  left  the 
Coptic  school  and  returned  to  his  theological  studies,  and  the 


228  The  AMERICAN  Mission 

sheikhs   of   his  village   resumed  their    threats  to  send   him 
off   to   the  railway    works  or   the  army,   his  father,  thoujrh 
a  poor   man,   gave  one  of   them   150  piastres  and  half  an 
ardeb*  of  grain  in  order  to  induce  him  to  allow  his  boy  to  pros- 
ecute his  studies.     This  young  man  wrote  out,  at  my  request, 
a  brief  statement  of  the  reasons  why  he  and  the  other  boys 
from  Sahil  Salem  had  been  compelled  to  leave  our  school  and 
enter  that  of  the  Copts.     1  sent  this  statement  along  with  a 
short  note  to  the  American  consular  agent,  requesting  him  to 
present  the  case  to  the  governor,  and  ask  him  what  he  thought 
proper  in  the  circumstances.     After  a  few  days  the  four  boys  and 
their   fathers  were   summoned  before  the  governor,  but   on 
announcing  their  presence  in  the  court  next  morning  they  were 
told  to  remain  outside  until  sent  for,  which  was  not  until  noon, 
and  they  were  only  brought  before  the  deputy-governor.     The 
American  consular  agent  had  gone,  at  my  suggestion,  in  order 
to  be  present  while  their  case  was  being  investigated,  and  his 
presence  was  doubtless  the  sole  reason  why  it  was  not  taken 
up  that  day.     Iskaros  returned  and  told  me  that  the  scribes  of 
the  divan  and  the  director  of  the  Coptic  school  had  besieged 
him  the  whole  forenoon,  and  had  sought — by  flattery  and  offers 
of  a  situation  with  a  large  salary  as  a  teacher,  and  when  this 
failed  by  threatening  to  send  him  off  to  the  army — to  induce 
him  to  leave  our  school.     He,  and  the  other  boys  returned  -to 
the  divan  next  morning,  and  at  his  own  request  they  went 
unaccompanied  by  anyone.     He  returned  about  ten  o'clock,  and 
reported  that  the  deputy-governor  instead  of  investigating  the 
truth  of  the  charge   made   by  him   against  the  sheikhs,  de- 
manded of  him  in  an  angry  tone  why  he  had  written  to  me  as 
he  had  done  against  the  sheikhs,  and  that  on  his  replying  that 
the  sheikhs  had  disregarded  the  orders  of  the  government,  he 
cut  him  short  by  saying,  '  Out  upon  you,  you  son  of  a  dog  !  off 
with  you  !'  whereupon   he  had  come  away,  leaving  him  in  a 
towering  rage. 

"  Owing  to  sickness  in  my  family,  I  had  to  leave  Asyut 
on  the  24th  of  June.  The  day  after  our  departure  Iskaros  and 
the  other  boys  were  summoned  to  appear  before  the  provincial 
*  An  ardeb  is  equal  to  five  bushels. 


IN  Egypt.  229 

authorities,  and  I  have  an  account  written  by  Iskaros  himself 
of  what  took  place  during  that  and  the  following  days.  From 
this  account,  as  supplemented  by  Mr.  Abdullah  Wesa  and  Mr. 
Ibrahim  Yusif,  both  ©f  whom,  though  not  present  while  he  was 
being  bastinadoed,  saw  his  bleeding  feet  a  few  minutes  after  as 
he  was  being  led  to  prison,  and  visited  him  on  Friday  morning 
in  the  prison.  From  these  sources  I  drew  up  the  following 
statement : 

"  When  the  boys  appeared  before  the  deputy-governor  on 
the  morning  of  the  26th  of  June  they  were  made  to  stand  in  a 
row  before  him.  He  then  made  some  remarks  that  frightened 
the  smaller  boys,  so  that  when  he  proceeded  to  ask  them  one 
by  one  which  of  the  two  schools  they  wished  to  go  to,  they 
said  they  were  willing  to  go  to  the  Coptic  school.  When  the 
question  was  put  to  Iskaros  he  gave  no  answer,  but  on  its 
being  repeated  he  replied  that  he  wanted  to  go  to  the  mission 
school,  and  that  he  would  rather  go  home  and  herd  cattle  than 
go  to  the  Coptic  school.  Finding  Iskaros  resolved  to  maintain 
his  rights,  the  deputy-governor  tried  to  intimidate  him  by 
ordering  him  off  to  prison ;  and  when  Hamman  Bey,  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  village  to  which  he  belonged  (and  a  near  relative 
of  the  head  sheikh  of  the  village)  interposed  to  prevent  this, 
the  deputy,  with  the  same  end  in  view,  rose,  and  after  examin- 
ing the  eyes  and  arms  of  one  of  the  boys  said  that  he  would  do 
for  the  army.  They  were  then  sent  to  the  clerk's  office, 
where  they  were  actually  coerced  and  compelled  to  sign  a 
deposition  stultifying  themselves  and  exculpating  the  sheilchs. 
The  statements,  however,  though  dictated  by  the  private  sec- 
retary of  the  governor,  did  not  fully  satisfy  the  deputy,  who 
gave  orders  that  they  should  be  made  to  add  to  it  that  the  letter 
which  they  had  written  to  me  complaining  of  the  interference 
of  the  sheikhs  was  written  at  my  dictation,  or  that  I  had  writ- 
ten it  for  them.  At  this  juncture,  Iskaros  obtained  leave  to  go 
out  for  some  refreshments,  and  before  returning  he  went  to 
the  mission  house  and  reported  what  had  taken  place.  A  few 
minutes  after  his  return  the  agent  of  the  American  consulate, 
who  had  been  apprised  of  what  was  going  on,  entered  the 
divan  and  found  Iskaros  surrounded  by  a  number  of  scribes,* 
*  These  were  Copts. 


230  The  American  Mission 

who  were  trying  to  coerce  him  to  write  such  a  statement  as 
the  deputy  had  desired.     Mr.  Wasif  interposed,  and  told  them 
to  allow  the  boy  to  write  as  he  pleased ;  whereupon  he  wrote 
that  the  letter  in  which  he  had  complained  to  me  of  the  con- 
duct of  the  sheikhs  was  written  by  himself  in  his  own  house, 
when  the  other  boys  were  present,  and  added  that  the  deposi- 
tion which  he  had  been  made  to  write  in  the  morning  was  writ- 
ten under  coercion  and  against  his  will,  and  that  he  still  wanted 
to  go  to  the  mission  school.     The  scribe  then  took  him  before 
the  deputy,  and  informed  him  that  he  had  refused  to  write  as 
he  bid  him.     Seeing  Mr.  Wasif,  the  consular  agent,  enter  the 
divan,  and  suspecting,  I  suppose,  that  Iskaros  had  gone  and  in- 
formed him  of  what  was  going  on,  his  excellency  said  to  him 
in  an  angry  tone,  *  Where  have  you  been  ? '  and  at  once  or- 
dered the  cawass*  to  administer  the  bastinado.     When  Mr. 
Wasif  interposed,    Iskaros   was  ordered  off  to  prison,  but  on 
reading  the  paper  which  he  had  written  the  deputy  ordered 
him  back,  and  on  his  re-entering  the  divan  cried  out  in  a  rage, 
'  What  is  this  you  have  written,  sir !  Who  coerced  you  ?  Did  you 
not  write  with  your  own  hands  ? '  Iskaros  replied  that  he  did,  but 
that  the  scribes  had  compelled  him,  upon  which  the  deputy 
ordered  him  to  be  bastinadoed.     Mr.  Wasif  again  interposed, 
but  in  vain.     Thirty  lashes  or  so  were  administered  on  the 
soles  of  his  bare  feet,  and  then  he  was  put  in  prison.     He  was 
visited  next  day  by  the  deputy  and  his  private  secretary,  and 
the  latter  was  instructed  in  his  presence  to  write  down  his 
name,  that  he  might  be  put  in  shackles  and  sent  off  to  the  rail- 
way works.     Instead  of  this  being  done,   however,    he   was 
summoned  on  Saturday  morning  into  the  deputy's  private  room, 
who  kept  him  there  until  the  afternoon,  visiting  him  every  now 
and  then  and  trying  through  dint  of  coaxing  and  flattery  to  in- 
duce him  to  give  in.     At  length,  after  the  deputy  had  modified 
his  demands  again  and  again,  so  as  to  make  them  as  light  as 
possible  on  the   boy's  conscience,  and  yet  secure  his  object, 
iskaros,  fairly  worn  out  and  afraid  of  further  outrages,  con- 
sented to   write   that   he  had  no  means  of  proving  that  the 
scribes  had  coerced  him  to  write  what  he  had  deposed  on  Thurs- 
•  Soldier  m  attendance. 


IN  EGYPT.  231 

day  morning ;  after  which  he  was  set  at  liberty.  So  far  as 
the  boys  or  their  parents  vvere  concerned,  not  one  question  was 
asl<ed  concerning  the  conduct  of  the  sheil<hs,  and  nothing 
appeared  to  show  that  any  investigation  had  been  made." 

Some  days  after,  however,  an  answer  was  received  by 
Mr.  Wasif  to  Mr.  Hogg's  complaint,  declaring  that  the  boys 
were  subjects  of  the  government  and  therefore  liable  to  be 
taken  for  the  works  when  necessity  called,  and  denying  in  the 
most  haughty  manner  the  right  of  Mr.  Hogg  to  interfere,  or  the 
consular  agent  to  mediate.  It  was  added  also  that  the  charge 
against  the  sheikhs  had  been  investigated  and  found  to  be  un- 
true. Not  a  word  was  said  about  the  certificates  sealed  with 
the  government  seal  in  the  hands  of  the  bo^^s.  Thus  ended 
these  strange  proceedings  in  Asyut,  in  entire  keeping  with  the 
despotic,  cruel,  and  partial  practices  of  the  government  of 
those  days,  when  Ishmael  Pasha  held  in  his  own  grasp  the 
lives,  property,  and  liberty  of  the  fellah  for  his  own  profit  and 
gratification.  No  wonder,  on  going  up  the  Nile  and  stopping  at 
a  small  town  on  the  banks  of  the  river  until  the  Sabbath  was 
past,  and  spending  the  day  reading  the  Scriptures,  talking  with 
some  of  the  people,  one  of  them  said,  "O!  khawaja,  only 
deliver  us  from  Ishmael  Pasha  and  his  slavery  and  despotism, 
and  we  will  accept  any  religion  you  like,  and  worship  any  God 
you  mention,  even  the  stones." 

Having  followed  up  the  persecution  in  Asyut,  and  shown 
how  it  was  carried  out  by  the  aid  of  the  government  authorities, 
and  no  doubt  with  the  entire  approbation  of  the  viceroy,  I  will 
now  take  up  the  case  of  Elder  Bishetly,  who  with  his  son  was 
driven  out  of  Ekhmim  at  the  time  of  the  Patriarch's  visit,  and 
came  down  to  Asyut,  reaching  that  town  on  the  morning  of  the 
26th  of  April,  Learning  the  facts  of  the  case,  Mr.  Hogg  re- 
turned with  Elder  Bishetly  at  once  to  Ekhmim  and  tried  to  gain 
redress  in  the  court  of  the  district.  At  the  first  interview,  the 
magistrate,  after  hearing  his  statement  of  the  case,  expressed 
much  astonishment  at  the  narrative,  and  seemed  inclined  to 
doubt  that  things  so  outrageous  had  taken  place.  "Such  a 
thing,"  said  he,  "could  not  be  allowed,"  and  asking  Elder 
Bishetly  to  write  a  statement  of  his  case,  he  promised  to  inves- 


232  THE   AMERICAN   MISSION 

tigate  it.  Before  their  return  with  the  statement,  however,  a 
change  had  passed  over  the  spirit  of  his  dreams.  The  Coptic 
scribes,  by  whom  he  was  surrounded,  had  succeeded  in  talking 
him  over  to  their  side,  and  now  delay  became  the  order  of  the 
day.  After  several  vain  attempts  to  get  the  case  gone  into,  the 
magistrate  informed  them  one  morning-  that  there  had  been  in 
the  court  for  the  last  fortnight  a  petition  against  Girgis  Bishetly, 
signed  by  eighty-nine  of  the  notables  of  the  town,  and  praying 
for  his  removal  on  the  ground  of  being  a  public  nuisance,  and 
the  sheikhs  of  the  town,  who  were  now  present,  were  called 
upon  for  their  case.  They  accordingly  presented  a  paper,  which 
proceeded  on  the  principle  of  denying  point-blank  everything 
Elder  Bishetly  had  said,  and  asserting  everything  possible 
against  him.  Mr.  Hogg,  thereupon,  with  the  view  of  bringing 
out  the  truth,  or  at  least  exposing  their  contradictions,  asked  to 
be  allowed  to  put  some  questions,  but  was  rudely  interrupted 
by  the  magistrate  telling  him  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
case,  as  this  was  a  question  between  subjects  of  the  Egyptian 
government,  and  that  therefore  he  could  not  be  allowed  to  ap- 
pear. The  case  then  went  on  for  a  day  or  two  without  any 
result,  and  ultimately  the  magistrate  left  the  town  for  the  rail- 
way works,  leaving  the  case  in  the  hands  of  his  deputy;  in 
other  words,  laying  it  upon  the  shelf.  It  was  not  to  be  expected 
that  the  missionaries  would  sit  still  under  such  treatment.  As 
soon  as  the  news  of  Bishetly's  case  reached  Cairo,  Dr.  Lansing 
and  his  colleagues  of  the  mission  resident  there,  addressed  a 
communication  to  the  American  consul-general,  and  through 
him  to  the  government  of  his  highness,  setting  forth  the  pre- 
tensions of  the  Patriarch  to  governmental  authority  and  the  use 
he  was  making  thereof,  and  for  the  purpose  of  eliciting  the  pol- 
icy  of  the  government,  concluding  with  asking  three  questions, 
which  were  as  follows  : 

"  ( I )  Have  the  heads  of  the  Christian  sects  a  right  to  use 
upon  the  people,  for  spiritual  offences,  corporal  punishments, 
such  as  beating,  imprisonment  and  the  like  ? 

"(2)  When  members  of  these  sects  use  their  liberty  in 
transferring  their  allegiance  from  one  sect  to  another,  have  the 
heads  of  sects  so  left  any  authority  over  them  ? 

"(3)     Does  there  exist  anv  distinction  in  the  matter  of 


IN  EGYPT.  233 

government  exemption  from  government  demands  between  the 
pupils  of  the  American  schools  and  those  of  the  other  schools  ?" 

The  paper  containing  these  questions  was  presented  in  the 
beginning  of  May,  and  although  the  minister  to  whose  depart- 
ment such  questions  belong,  in  an  interview  with  the  consul- 
general  immediately  after  the  presentation  of  the  paper,  ex- 
pressed himself  willing  and  ready  to  answer  the  questions 
satisfactorily,  week  after  week  passed  without  any  reply. 

A  document  containing  the  details  of  the  Bishetly  case, 
the  proceedings  before  the  district  court  and  some  observations 
thereon,  was  afterwards  drawn  up  and  presented  to  Mr.  Hale, 
the  United  States  consul-general,  to  lay  it  before  the  govern- 
ment. Its  transmission,  however,  was  stopped  by  the  receipt 
of  an  answer  to  the  above  questions,  although  subsequent 
events  showed  that  it  might  have  been  better  had  the  document 
been  presented  even  then.  In  the  beginning  of  June  this 
answer  was  received  from  his  excellency,  the  minister  of  for- 
eign affairs,  and  as  being  an  interesting  specimen  of  Turkish 
diplomacy,  as  well  as  of  some  importance  in  the  case,  we  give 
it  in  extenso : 

"We  have  received  your  communication  of  the  past  month 
of  May  in  reference  to  the  complaint  of  certain  persons  against 
the  Patriarch  of  the  Copts,  and  you  declared  in  that  communi- 
cation that  the  government  of  the  viceroy  shows  in  most  of  its 
actions  that  it  allows  freedom  of  religion,  and  therefore  would 
not  allow  what  has  been  done  by  the  Patriarch  of  the  Copts. 
'Yes,'  the  Egyptian  government  has  allowed  the  toleration  of 
religions  like  the  rest  of  the  civilized  kingdoms,  and  it  has  given 
every  assistance  in  facilitating  and  accomplishing  certain  things 
necessary  to  them  ;  therefore,  with  the  due  respect  of  the  gov- 
ernment to  the  duties  of  the  aforementioned  toleration,  it  sees 
it  to  be  its  duty  also  to  avoid  all  official  intermeddling  and  inter- 
ference in  the  matter  of  deciding  religious  cases,  and  especially 
as,  from  the  existence  of  many  religions  in  Egypt,  the  annoy- 
ance which  would  result  from  such  interference  is  to  be  feared. 
We  must  therefore  answer  you  on  the  ground  of  friendship, 
informing  you  of  our  regret  at  the  interposition  of  the  com- 
plainants, according  to  the  demands  of  their  relations  to  the 


234  The  American  Mission 

government,  that  they  should  have  addressed  the  local  authori- 
ties. We  have,  however,  out  of  respect  to  yourself  written  a 
communication  directly  to  his  honor  the  inspector  of  the 
provinces,  making  necessary  inquiries  concerning  the  state  of 
the  case  complained  of,  and  that  he  should  give  notice  for  the 
prevention  of  what  would  hinder  the  above-mentioned  tolera- 
tion." 

A  few  days  after  the  receipt  of  this  letter,  the  viceroy, 
accompanied  by  Ragib  Pasha,  left  Egypt  for  Europe,  and  the 
affairs  of  state  were  left  in  the  hands  of  his  excellency  Sharif 
Pasha.  Mr.  Reade,  the  acting  Brittish  consul-general,  in- 
structed by  a  communication  from  the  British  embassy  at  Con- 
stantinople, took  up  the  case  of  these  persecutions,  and  espe- 
cially of  Elder  Bishetly,  and  made  representations  thereon,  and 
the  result  was  a  long  document  from  his  excellency  to  the 
United  States  consul-general,  in  one  part  of  which  he  claimed 
that  the  Egyptian  government  was  determined  to  give  the 
fullest  Christian  liberty,  and  in  another  declared  that  it  was 
determined  not  to  allow  religious  propagandism,  meaning  such 
discussion  and  teaching  as  might  lead  a  man  to  change  his 
religion.  It  was  what  Turkey  gives  to-day,  full  liberty  to  any 
one  to  believe  in  the  religion  in  which  he  was  born,  but  no 
liberty  to  change  it  for  another.  Such  was  all  that  could  be 
secured  from  the  Egyptian  government  in  official  declaration,  to 
remove  the  wrongs  which  had  been  done,  and  put  Protestantism 
on  the  same  footing  with  Catholicism  and  Copticism,  but  the 
practical  result  was  better  than  the  official  declarations,  and 
never  again  did  the  Egyptian  government  take  such  decided 
action  in  favor  of  the  Copts  against  the  Protestants,  though 
there  is  no  doubt  that  it  continued  to  prefer  the  principles  and 
practices  of  the  former  to  those  of  the  latter. 

The  impetus  given  by  the  Egyptian  government  to  the 
Coptic  persecutions,  while  it  led,  as  we  have  seen,  to  open  and 
determined  and  active  opposition  to  all  evangelistic  efforts  in 
the  upper  country,  also  affected  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  the 
operations  of  the  mission  throughout  the  whole  of  Egypt. 
Outrages  were  perpetrated  and  wrongs  done  in  the  Faiyum  and 
in  Monsurah,  as  well  as  in  the  region  of  Asyut,  Ekhmim,  and 


IN  EGYPT.  235 

Kus.  Special  efforts  were  made  by  the  priests,  botli  in  the 
Faiyum  and  in  Monsurah,  to  break  up  the  schools.  The  parents 
were  visited  and  entreated,  and  even  threatened  with  excom- 
nrinication  from  "the  inheritance  of  the  just."  The  result 
for  a  time  was  the  loss  of  about  one-third  of  the  boys  in 
attendance  and  a  few  of  the  girls.  But  while  opposition  to  the 
missionaries  and  their  work  had  been  stirred  up  in  all  parts  of 
the  field,  it  was  evident,  too,  that  the  Lord's  Spirit  was  at 
work  moving  many  to  inquire  about  the  way  of  salvation,  and  to 
search  for  the  truth  in  the  Word  of  God,  and  in  evangelical 
books.  The  colporteurs  everywhere  found  intensified  opposi- 
tion on  the  part  of  many,  but  others  were  not  wanting  who 
eagerly  seized  the  opportunity  of  securing  a  copy  of  the  Scrip- 
tures in  order  to  quietly  read  them  in  their  own  homes.  The 
very  intensity  of  the  opposition  aroused  and  stirred  up  the  ad- 
versaries of  the  truth  to  search  for  arguments  in  the  Scriptures 
in  support  of  their  positions,  since  many  of  them  could  not  but 
believe  that  their  spiritual  leaders  were  right,  and  especially 
that  the  Patriarch  himself  must  have  good  reason  for  calling  the 
American  missionaries  heretics  and  waging  a  fierce  warfare 
against  them.  So  that  some  from  one  motive  and  some  from 
another  read  the  Word  of  God  as  they  had  never  done  before, 
and  thus  were  being  prepared  by  the  providence  of  God,  as 
well  as  by  personal  aims,  for  times  of  refreshing  in  the  future. 
Persons  from  neighboring  villages  hearing,  perhaps  for  the  first 
time,  of  the  Protestant  mission  through  the  active  opposition 
and  conversations  of  the  Coptic  clergy,  had  their  curiosity 
aroused,  and  on  visiting  the  central  stations  would  drop  in  to 
witness  a  Protestant  service,  or  call  on  the  missionary  and 
hear  what  he  had  to  say,  and  perhaps  in  the  hope  that  they 
might  be  able  to  overcome  him  in  argument.  Others  from  a 
real  love  of  the  truth  which  they  had  already  tasted,  would 
seize  the  opportunity  of  being  in  Cairo,  Asyut,  Medinah,  Mon- 
surah or  Kus,  and  would  secretly  attend  the  services  on  Sabbath, 
or  the  meetings  in  the  evening,  for  the  refreshing  of  their  souls 
and  the  strengthening  of  their  faith.  In  some  places,  too,  the 
people  began  to  meet  together  for  mutual  profit  and  to  aid  one 
another  in  learning  the  real  truth  in  regard  to  the  differences 


236  The  a.merican  Mission 

between  the  Copts  and  Protestants.  A  few  of  the  enlightened 
Copts  in  the  villa^^e  of  Mutiah,  a  small  village  at  a  little  dis- 
tance south  of  Asyut,  commenced  in  June  an  evening  meeting 
for  prayer  and  the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  in  tiie  house  of  tlie 
father  of  one  of  our  junior  students  of  the  theological  class. 
The  blind  Coptic  schoolmaster  was  the  leader  in  the  movement, 
although  he  and  another  man,  Antone  el-Shams,  as  we  have 
seen,  had  been  summoned  before  the  Patriarch  and  informed 
tliatthey  would  be  held  personally  responsible  for  any  Protest- 
ant movement  that  might  take  place  in  the  village. 

After  several  weeks,  when  the  nightly  audience  had  in- 
creased to  about  twenty  persons,  Antone,  who  had  kept  aloof, 
took  fright  at  the  growing  proportions  of  the  movement,  and 
not  daring  to  oppose  it  openly,  he  employed  some  *'  lewd  fel- 
lows of  the  baser  sort,"  who  endeavored  to  break  up  the  meet- 
ings by  throwing  dust  and  brickbats  into  the  court  of  the  house 
in  which  it  was  held.  The  attempt  failed,  however,  for  blind 
Makhiel  and  his  friends  retired  into  an  inner  room  beyond  reach 
of  the  missiles.  Upon  this  being  known,  they,  with  diabolical 
cunning,  directed  their  missiles  into  the  court  of  an  influential 
Muslim  whose  house  was  adjacent,  and  they  did  so  in  such  a 
way  that  they  appeared  to  come  from  the  court  of  the  house  in 
which  the  meeting  was  held.  In  consequence  those  who 
attended  the  meetings  were  accused  of  holding  nightly  conven- 
ticles for  the  purpose  of  disturbing  their  neighbors.  Their 
exculpatory  statements  were  not  listened  to.  The  Muslim" 
sheikh  of  the  village  informed  them  that  their  pretense  of 
meeting  for  the  worship  of  God  rather  aggravated  than  lessened 
their  offence,  and  that  they  would  not  be  allowed  to  meet  for 
such  a  purpose  unless  they  could  produce  a  legal  license  to  that 
effect  from  the  government.  But,  though  thus  compelled  to 
give  up  their  formal  meetings  for  a  time,  they  often  spoke  one 
to  another. 

From  Asyut  visits  were  occasionally  made  by  the  mission- 
ary to  some  of  the  villages  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  and 
Mutiah,  Bagore  and  Waladiah  were  visited  from  time  to  time 
by  some  of  the  theological  students,  when  religious  services  of 
a  more  or  less  formal  character  were   held.     From  Medinah 


IN   EGYPT.  237 

visits  were  made  by  the  missionary  to  Sinoris  and  other  places, 
as  well  as  ta  the  homes  of  the  people,  while  it  was  quite  a 
common  occurrence  for  people  to  call  on  the  missionary  and  his 
assistants  to  discuss  religious  principles  and  practices,  or  to  ask 
questions  and  proofs  for  certain  of  our  doctrines. 

The  work  at  Alexandria  was  perhaps  affected  less  by  the 
general  persecution  than  at  any  other  station.  The  attendance 
at  the  Sabbath  service  was  encouraging,  and  the  schools  kept 
up  their  numbers  and  eificiency,  especially  the  girls'  school, 
which  was  under  the  efficient  instruction  of  Miss  Gregory, 
who,  though  for  a  time  her  life  was  despaired  of,  was,  through 
the  mercy  of  God,  raised  up  again. 

Much  anxiety  and  labor  fell  upon  the  missionaries  in  upper 
Egypt,  and  especially  in  Cairo,  during  the  year,  on  account  of 
the  latter  being  the  headquarters  of  the  government,  and  the 
whole  treatment  of  the  difficult  questions  arising  out  of  the  per- 
secutions, and  their  presentation  to  the  consular  authorities  and 
the  government,  had  to  be  managed  by  them.  Many  letters  to 
the  consular  authorities,  and  some  through  them  to  the  Egypt- 
ian government,  had  to  be  carefully  prepared,  long  Arabic  letters 
had  to  be  translated,  almost  daily  interviews  with  some  official 
had  to  be  held,  and  the  greatest  tact  had  to  be  displayed  in  all 
official  interviews,  so  as  to  keep  up  friendly  relations  witii  all 
concerned,  and  still  make  the  arguments  in  favor  of  the  action 
desired  as  powerful  as  possible.  It  was  on  occasions  such  as 
these,  and  in  business  of  such  a  character,  in  which  it  was 
necessary  to  appear  before  the  "powers  that  be,"  that  Dr. 
Lansing's  talents  and  personal  qualities  were  especially  valu- 
able. \n  looking  over  the  copies  of  letters  written  by  him  to 
the  American  consul-general,  to  her  Britannic  majesty's  consul- 
general,  to  Ragib  Pasha,  to  Sharif  Pasha,  to  the  secretary  of 
state  at  Washington,  and  to  the  secretary  of  the  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions,  on  those  persecutions,  I  am  convinced  he  must 
have  spent  many  an  anxious  hour  writing  with  the  midnight 
lamp  in  order  to  bring  about  a  favorable  issue. 

Unhappily,  the  policy  of  the  United  States  government  has 
seemed  often  to  be  to  afford  American  missionaries  as  little  pro- 
tection as  possible,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Coptic  persecution  of 


238  The  American  Mission 

native  Protestants,  some  of  whom  were  in  the  employ  of  the 
mission,  the  reason  fur  the  indifference  of  the  Egyptian  govern- 
ment to  the  communications  of  the  United  States  consul  was  to 
be  found,  either  in  knowing  that  he  had  no  interest  at  heart  in 
the  issues  involved,  or  that  his  government  would  not  sustain 
him  in  enforcing  his  opinions  upon  the  Eg)'ptian  government. 
The  feeling  that  there  was  a  want  of  sympathy  either  on  the 
part  of  the  representative  of  the  United  States  in  Egypt,  or 
that  the  home  authorities  would  not  sustain  any  vigorous  policy 
he  might  attempt  to  pursue,  did,  I  know,  weigh  heavily  upon 
Dr.  Lansing's  mind  while  conducting  the  negotiations,  and  added 
quite  naturally  to  the  burden,  the  chief  part  of  which  he  had 
to  bear. 

Notwithstanding  these  anxieties  and  duties,  which  fell 
heavily  upon  the  missionaries  in  Cairo,  the  work  at  the  station 
went  forward  in  all  its  departments,  Mr.  Strang  having  charge 
of  the  school  for  boys,  Mrs.  Lansing  the  boarding  school  for 
girls  and  the  girls'  day  school  in  the  Ezbekiyah,  and  Miss  Hart 
the  girls'  school  in  Haret-es-Sakkain,  and  Dr.  Barnett  in  charge 
of  the  native  church,  in  which  Dr.  Lansing  also  took  his  turn 
in  conducting  religious  services,  both  in  Arabic  and  English,  dur- 
ing the  winter  months,  and  in  Arabic  during  the  summer. 

At  Asyut;  also,  even  in  the  midst  of  all  the  excitement  and 
opposition,  the  work  went  forward  on  its  various  lines.  It  is 
true  the  schools  suffered,  as  far  as  the  number  of  pupils  was 
concerned,  the  attendance  at  the  girls'  school  being  greater  than  at" 
the  boys'.  Miss  McKown  became  convinced,  too,  during  the  year, 
that  what  was  needed  then  for  the  girls  was  a  place  in  which 
those  from  the  country  could  find  a  Christian  home  during  the 
night  as  well  as  during  the  day.  Private  lessons  were  given 
by  Mrs.  Hogg  to  some  of  the  women,  and  the  blind  girls  com- 
menced to  learn  to  read  in  Mr.  Moon's  books  in  embossed 
characters.  In  the  theological  class  instruction  was  given  in 
various  branches,  such  as  evidences,  systematic  theology, 
church  history  and  the  Hebrew  language.  Brother  Hogg  was 
fortunate  in  having  with  him  for  a  few  months  Mr.  Muir,  a 
theological  student  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  who  ren- 
dered him  efficient  aid  for  a  time. 


IN  EGYPT.  239 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

1868— staff  of  missionaries  and  their  movements— Affairs  in  Kus— Spread  of 
the  truth— Sickness  of  pastor-elect-Fears  and  forebodings— Encouraging  acces- 
sion—Dr.  Johnston  arrives  at  Asyut— Theological  class— Names  of  inquirers  at 
Asvut— Cause  of  their  fears— Power  of  the  priests— Dr.  Hogg's  exhortation  before 
leaving  for  Carlo- '^The  Kus  Winnowing  Fan  "—Meetings  in  Father  Pauls 
house— The  boy  Shenooda  Hanna,  the  reader— His  advice— Meetings  at  house  of 
Athanasius— At  the  bishop's— Shenooda's  troubles  and  the  result- Large  meet- 
in'^  on  Dr  Hogg's  return— E.xcommunications— Counterblast  on  intemperance  pro- 
posed by  Mr  Hanna  Buktor— Attempt  to  read  it  in  Coptic  church— Altered  tactics 
of  the  Patriarch— Hanna  Buktor  and  others  make  open  profession— Case  or  the 
carpenters  and  the  marriage  ceremony— Clerical  plans  frustrated— Visit  of  Metro- 
politan—Work in  places  near  Asvut— In  the  Faiyum— Cairo— Alexandria— Return 
of  Brothers  Ewing  and  Watson  from  America. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  year,  Rev.  B.  F.  Pinkerton  and 
Miss  S.  Gregory  were  in  Alexandria ;  Rev.  J.  Barnett,  D.  D., 
Rev.  G.  Lansing,  D.  D.,  Mr.  D.  Strang  and  Miss  Hart  in  Cairo  ; 
Rev.  W.  Harvey  in  the  Faiyum  ;  Rev.  J.  Hogg,  D.  D.,  Miss 
McKown  in  Asyut,  and  Rev.  E.  Currie  in  Kus  ;  the  Revs.  S.  C. 
Ewing  and  A.  Watson  were  still  in  America. 

At  the  meeting  of  presbytery,  held  in  Cairo  in  January  and 
February,  it  was  arranged  that,  should  Dr.  Lansing  be  compelled 
to  take  a  change,  either  to  Syria  or  Great  Britain,  on  account 
of  ill  health.  Dr.  Hogg  would  take  his  place  in  Cairo,  chiefly  for 
the  purpose  of  preparing  matter  for  the  press,  and  performing 
the  duties  of  editor,  and  such  other  work  as  he  might  be  ablt  to 
do.  Accordingly,  we  find  Dr.  Hogg  in  Cairo  in  April,  where  he 
remained,  except  for  a  few  weeks  in  Ramleh,  until  he  left  for 
Asyut,  about  the  istof  September,  for,  on  Dr.  Lansing's  return 
from  Syria  in  May,  he  found  his  health  in  such  a  precarious 
state  that  he  left  almost  immediately  for  Great  Britain,  where 
he  spent  the  rest  of  the  year.  His  wife  and  three  sons  accom- 
panied him  to  Liverpool,  the  two  eldest  going  home  to  America 
to  be  educated,  while  the  youngest  remained  with  his  parents. 
For  a  short  time  during  the  summer,  Mr.  Strang  was  absent  in 
Syria,  on  account  of  the  illness  of  his  wife.     Such,  in  brief, 


240  The  American  Mission 

were  the  "locale"  and  movements  of  the  missionaries  during 
the  year. 

Beginning  with  Kus,  the  station  then  farthest  to  the  south, 
it  appears  that  after  the  safe  return  of  Uncle  Fam  and  his  com- 
panions from  their  threatened  banishment,  the  work  of  the  Lord 
went  forward  with  quiet  and  steady  progress.  The  restoration 
of  the  persecuted  brethren  to  their  homes  had  a  very  great 
moral  effect  in  favor  of  the  spread  of  the  evangelical  truth,  both 
in  Kus  itself  and  in  all  the  country.  It  was  seen  that  they  who 
were  for  the  Protestants,  if  not  more  numerous,  were  at  least 
more  powerful  than  those  who  were  against  them,  and  it  was 
generally  agreed  that  the  Lord  Himself  had  interposed  on  behalf 
of  those  who  had  so  implicitly  put  their  trust  in  Him. 

On  account  of  the  troublous  times  through  which  the  con- 
gregation u'as  passing,  when  the  committee  of  presbytery  for 
the  induction  of  Rev.  Makhiel  as  pastor  visited  Kus,  it  was 
thought  best  to  delay  the  installation  to  a  more  favorable  time, 
and  the  pastor-elect,  being  laid  aside  by  sickness  about  the  be- 
ginning of  the  year,  left  for  Cairo,  where  he  remained  during 
the  following  seven  months.  In  his  absence,  Uncle  Fam,  who 
had  not  been  re-employed  by  the  government,  spent  his  time 
in  going  from  house  to  house,  reading  and  explaining  the  Word, 
day  after  day,  and  was  always  ready  to  take  part  in  conducting 
the  public  religious  meetings,  whether  held  in  the  evening,  dur- 
ing the  week,  or  on  Sabbath  day.  The  attendance  also  contin- 
ued to  improve,  and  persons  from  neighboring  towns  began  fo 
drop  in  frequently  at  the  services,  and  made  calls  on  Uncle  Fam, 
on  the  teacher  in  the  school,  or  on  Mr.  Currie. 

An  attempt  was  made  by  the  Coptic  priests  to  prevent  the 
parents  of  some  of  the  children  from  sending  their  children  to 
the  Protestant  school,  and  when  they  did  not  succeed — on  ac- 
count of  the  parents'  insisting  that  the  American  school  was 
much  better  than  that  of  the  Copts,  especially  because  of  its 
decidedly  religious  character — then  they  conceived  the  strange 
plan  of  introducing  some  of  the  Protestant  text-books  into  the 
Coptic  school,  and  began  with  Brown's  little  book  of  "  Questions 
and  Answers  on  the  First  Principles  of  the  Christian  Religion," 
purchasing  the  book  of  the  mission  until  the  supply  ran  out. 


IN  EGYPT.  241 

Th^y  also  introduced  the  Westminster  Sliorter  Cateciiism. 
One  man  produced  a  copy  of  Brown's  question-book,  and  on 
being  asked  where  he  got  it,  he  said,  "  Oh,  when  the  Patriarch 
was  here  he  commanded  all  such  books  to  be  burnt ;  1  took  the 
precaution  to  bury  mine  in  the  ground,  lest  it  might  be  taken 
and  burned."  But  while  the  work  in  general  prospered,  and 
the  brethren  were  generally  allowed  to  live  in  peace  and  quiet- 
ude, every  now  and  then  some  rumor  would  be  spread  abroad 
of  approaching  trouble,  or  some  movement  made  which  indicated 
that  the  dangerous  elements  were  still  at  work. 

"  One  day  a  policeman  came  from  the  governor  of  Kena," 
says  Brother  Currie,  **  and  took  Malaty  Khalil,  one  of  our  best 
young  men,  in  great  haste,  not  allowing  him  to  go  to  his  house 
after  the  summons.  This  gave  us  much  anxiety,  as  we  could 
get  no  clue  as  to  the  design  of  such  a  sudden  seizure.  When 
Malaty  arrived  and  reported  himself  to  the  governor,  he  was 
told  by  his  excellency  that  he  was  to  be  sent  as  a  scribe  to  the 
Sudan.  The  governor  proceeded  to  ask  concerning  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  work  of  a  government  scribe,  but  as  he  had  never 
been  in  the  service,  he  assured  the  governor  that  he  was  not 
acquainted  with  it.  To  our  great  joy,  he  was  allowed  to  return 
home  the  next  day.  Upon  the  heels  of  this  came  the  informa- 
tion that  the  names  of  all  our  men  were  written  down  for  the 
forced  labor  of  the  government,  i.  e.,  to  go  in  the  hottest  season 
of  this  hot  climate  to  make  the  grading  of  the  railway,  where 
they  fill  baskets  with  earth,  carry  them  on  their  shoulders  and 
dump  them  down  on  the  embankment.  This,  to  many,  would 
be  equivalent  to  a  sentence  of  death." 

It  afterwards  came  to  light  that  the  names  were  taken  for 
the  purpose  mentioned,  but  the  government  inspector-general, 
Abu  Sultan,  an  intelligent,  upright  man,  hearing  of  it,  revoked 
the  unjust  order  of  the  governor.  A  case  of  the  government 
against  the  scribes  of  Kena  for  embezzlement  (the  very  same 
scribes  who  had  conspired  against  Uncle  Fam  and  his  friends, 
and  had  urged  on  the  governor  to  banish  them),  was  also  exam- 
ined into  by  the  same  inspector-general,  and  finding  that  there 
was  danger  of  a  failure  of  justice  if  left  in  the  hands  of  the  gov- 
ernor, he  took  it  out  of  his  hands,  and  by  the  testimony  of  Fam 
16 


242  The  American  Mission 

and  others,  found  them  guilty,  and  they  were  punished.  "  The 
issue  of  the  case,"  says  Mr.  Currie,  "has  not  only  silenced  the 
Coptic  scribes  of  Kena,  who  were  the  great  enemies  and  perse- 
cutors of  all  in  the  province  who  professed  Protestantism,  but 
also  had  a  cheering  influence  on  all  our  friends,  and  many,  be- 
fore silenced  by  fear,  now  give  expression  to  an  evangelical 
belief." 

Writing  from  Kus,  on  August  14,  Brother  Currie  says : 
'•  The  evangelical  work  in  Kus,  and  in  the  towns  and  villages 
around,  has  been  making  cheerful  progress  ;  there  have  been 
some  special  tokens  of  the  Divine  blessing  upon  our  people  in 
Kus.  Especially  in  the  matter  of  personal  and  family  religion 
has  there  been  cheering  progress,  besides  their  attendance  at 
our  family  prayer-meeting  and  our  regular  preaching  on  the 
Sabbath.  In  many  cases  the  husband  and  wife  were  not  both 
enlightened  persons,  and  of  course  in  such  cases  the  hindrances 
of  family  worship  are  very  great  But,  O  !  how  true  it  is  that 
there  can  be  no  true  and  permanent  success  in  any  congrega- 
tion, at  home  or  in  foreign  lands,  unless  the  pure  religion  of  our 
blessed  Saviour  has  its  vital  growth  in  the  family.  On  July  5, 
the  members  sat  down  at  the  table  of  the  Lord  for  the  first  tim.e 
after  these  days  of  persecution,  and  there  were  added  to  the 
twenty-five  received  by  Dr.  Lansing,  thirteen  more  on  profes- 
sion of  their  faith  in  Christ,  and  determination  to  live  for  his 
glory  in  acknowledgment  of  the  grace  given  them  in  Christ 
Jesus  for  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  It  was,"  wrote  Mr.  Cur- 
rie, "  a  solemn  and  delightful  communion  season.  There  were 
many  present  as  spectators  who  are  enlightened  in  the  great 
truths  of  the  Gospel,  and  were  much  interested  in  witnessing 
the  observance  of  this  memorial  of  the  death  of  our  dear  Re- 
deemer, and  some  of  them  expressed  their  desire  to  be  recei\ed 
into  fellowship  at  the  next  communion  season."  Rev.  Makhiel 
returned  to  Kus  in  time  to  care  for  the  congregation,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  Brother  Currie  in  the  Delta,  until  the  end  of  the 
year. 

Coming  down  the  river  to  Asyut,  the  next  central  station 
after  Kus,  we  find  in  the  history  of  the  work  there  during  1868 
so  much  that  is  interesting  and  encouraging,  and  so  different 


IN  Egypt. 


243 


from  the  condition  of  things  in  1867,  tiiat,  as  it  marks  the  be- 
ginning of  the  work  which  from  that  time  grew  and  widened  in 
many  directions,  we  will  have  to  give  it  considerable  more 
space  than  we  can  afford  to  any  other  station,  but  I  think  the 
reader  will  be  glad  to  have  me  do  so.  The  various  missionary 
operations  carried  on  in  1867  continued,  with  the  exception  that 
the  theological  class  was  suspended  from  March  to  September, 
during  Dr.  Hogg's  absence  in  Cairo,  and  the  girls'  school  was 
closed  for  two  and  a  half  months  during  the  heat  of  summer, 
Miss  McKown  venturing  to  stay  on  without  the  presence  of  a 
missionary  family  till  midsummer.  Girgis  Malaik  had  charge 
of  the  evangelistic  work,  and  Mikhail  Bishai  of  the  boys'  school 
during  Dr.  Hogg's  absence. 

Dr.  D.  R.  Johnston  and  wife,  under  appointment  of  the 
Board  for  medical  work  in  Asyut,  sailed  from  New  York  on  May 
21,  and  from  Liverpool  June  13,  reaching  Alexandria  July  i. 
They  remained  in  Alexandria  July  and  August,  and  reached 
Asyut  near  the  end  of  September,  and  were  warmly  welcomed, 
not  only  by  the  mission  family,  but  also  by  the  natives  in  gen- 
eral, who  were  glad  to  have  near  them  a  Christian  physician  to 
whom  they  could  apply  in  case  of  need. 

Twenty-three  persons  attended  the  theological  class,  which 
was  reopened  on  September  15.  Not  more  than  half  of  these, 
however,  could  be  regarded  as  theological  students  in  the  west- 
ern sense  of  the  term — some,  on  account  of  their  youth,  others 
on  account  of  the  deficiency  in  their  early  training,  and  some 
from  the  fact  that  they  were  not  expected  to  become  native 
pastors.  It  was  hoped,  however,  that  all  would  receive  such 
profit  that  in  the  incipient  state  of  the  work  they  would  be 
useful  in  various  and  in  different  circumstances. 

The  attendance  at  the  boys'  school  increased  to  forty,  half 
of  whom  were  from  Asyut,  an  encouraging  sign  of  the  progress 
of  the  work  in  the  town.  These  went  home  at  night,  but  those 
from  the  villages  were  practically  boarders,  so  they  were  under 
the  immediate  eye  of  the  missionaries  night  and  day,  only  they 
were  supported  by  their  friends. 

The  attendance  at  the  girls'  school  was  never  higher  than 
eighteen,  but  there  was  greater    regularity  than  during  any 


244  '^^^  AMERICAN  Mission 

former  year.  Ten  of  them  had  learned  to  read  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament, and  three  were  accustomed  to  go  out  and  teach  women 
who  desired  to  learn  to  read.  At  the  end  of  the  year  there 
were  twelve  married  women  learning  to  read,  four  of  whom  at- 
tended school  as  boarders.  They  provided  their  own  bread, 
other  expenses  being  charged  to  the  mission.  This  was,  in 
fact,  the  beginning  of  the  boarding  school  in  Asyut. 

In  giving  an  account  of  interesting  incidents  in  Asyut  for 
1868,  Dr.  Hogg  writes  as  follows:  "  Although  often  dejected 
and  grieved  in  spirit  at  the  blindness  of  mind  and  hardness  of 
heart  of  the  so-called  Christian  population  of  Asyut,  we  never 
entirely  lost  heart  concerning  them.  In  a  city  with  a  popula- 
tion of  35,ocxD,  one-fifth  of  whom  are  Copts,  there  could  not 
fail  to  be  a  few  inquiring  minds  who,  having  heard  an  evangel- 
ical sermon,  would  like  to  hear  another,  even  at  the  risk  of 
exposing  themselves  to  the  animadversions  of  the  Coptic  clergy. 
Until  the  present  year  the  number  of  such  has  been  small,  but 
there  have  always  been  a  few.  Marcus  Habl,  the  carpenter 
who  made  the  school  forms  when  the  mission  was  first  opened  ; 
his  cousin  Athanasius,  the  v^-heelwright ;  Kheir,  the  miller ;  She- 
nooda  Hanna,  the  dux  of  the  Coptic  school ;  Feltus,  the  gold- 
smith ;  Hanna  and  Fakhr,  the  sons  of  the  *  disciple '  of  the 
bishop  of  Asyut — these,  and  one  or  two  others,  including  our 
friend  Mr.  Wasif  Khayat,  and  some  of  his  employes,  have 
attended  our  meetings  more  or  less  openly  from  the  first.  Even 
during  the  Patriarch's  visit  last  year,  when  the  storm  raged  so 
strong  that  even  Mr.  W.  Khayat  was  afraid  to  accompany  me 
to  Ekhinim  to  assist  in  investigating  Elder  Bishetly's  case, 
several  whose  names  I  have  mentioned  came  daily  to  the  mis- 
sion house  to  inform  us  of  what  was  going  on  in  the  enemy's 
camp.  If  we  had  held  only  one  or  two  religious  services  a 
week,  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  these  timid  Nicode- 
muses  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  clerical  spies  ;  but  having  a 
meeting  every  night  and  three  on  Sabbath  day,  it  was  impos- 
sible for  the  priests  to  watch  them  so  strictly  as  to  prevent  them 
from  attending  at  least  occasionally.  Some  of  them  came  by 
different  streets  on  different  nights,  and  when  questioned  as  to 
where  they  were  going  they  pretended  they  were  going  to  call 


IN  EGYPT.  245 

on  friends.  The  number  of  those  who  came  by  stealth  is 
greater  at  present  than  it  has  ever  been  before.  It  is  not  the 
priests  they  fear  so  much,  but  their  own  relatives  and  friends, 
in  a  country  where  it  is  almost  a  sin  for  a  young  man  to  marry 
out  of  his  own  family  connections,  and  he,  though  perhaps  the 
father  of  a  large  family,  has  no  power  of  independent  action 
while  his  father  lives.  The  priests  by  stirring  up  the  clan  feel- 
ing against  the  parents  of  the  delinquent  are  able  to  wield  an 
almost  unlimited  influence.  The  existence  of  perhaps  nearly 
half  a  million  Copts  in  Egypt  after  twelve  centuries  of  oppres- 
sion, under  a  government  which  holds  an  opposite  creed,  is  a 
tangible  proof  of  this,  and  it  is  our  present  hope  that  the  Spirit  of 
God  may  yet  serve  Himself  of  these  close  clan  relationships,  by 
which  a  whole  family  of  ten  or  twenty  is  made  responsible  for 
the  acts  of  one  of  its  members,  and  transform  these  iron  fet 
ters  into  cords  of  love,  by  which  to  draw  not  only  individuals 
but  whole  families  into  the  fold  of  the  Saviour. 

"  When  we  left  for  Cairo  on  the  7th  of  March,  it  was  cur- 
rently reported  in  Asyut  that  we  had  taken  our  final  departure. 
You  need  not  marvel  at  this,  for  it  had  been  their  constant  wish 
ever  since  we  came,  and  their  idea  has  been  that  if  they  could 
only  empty  our  schools  for  a  time,  we  would  pick  up  our  goods 
and  leave  for  a  more  promising  field.  Even  at  this  late  date,  and 
with  all  our  recent  success,  the  bishop  of  Asyut  still  cherishes 
this  forlorn  hope.  Two  days  ago,  Shenooda  Hanna's*  mother, 
when  rebuked  by  him  for  telling  a  falsehood,  gave  the  follow- 
ing retort:  'Out  with  you,  and  your  Protestant  notions. 
Khawaja  Hogg  is  going  away  soon,  and  then  you  and  your 
father  will  be  as  good  Copts  as  the  rest  of  us.  You  will  think 
no  more  then  of  telling  a  lie  than  I  do.' 

"  A  night  or  two  before  our  departure  for  Cairo,  I  had  a 
long  conversation  with  Marcus,  Athanasius  and  Kheir.  I  told 
them  that  I  believed  God  had  called  us  to  go  to  Cairo  in  order  to 
give  them  the  opportunity  of  carrying  forward  the  work.  It 
had  now  arrived  at  a  stage  at  which  they  could  forward  it  more 
effectively  than  we.  Many  had  become  so  far  interested  as  to 
have  begun  to  read  the  Scriptures.  Nothing  but  deeply-rooted 
*  Now  Rev.  Shenooda  Hanna,  of  Sinoris. 


246  The  American  Mission 

prejudice  was  preventing  these  from  receiving  and  embracing 
the  trutii.  It  was  in  their  power  to  do  much  to  remove  this 
prejudice.  They  were  still  Copts,  and  although  their  frequent 
visits  to  the  mission  house  had  occasionally  brought  them  under 
suspicion,  there  would  be  no  cause  to  suspect  them  during  our 
absence.  Many  would  attend  an  evening  meeting  at  one  of 
their  houses,  who  would  not  dare  to  come  near  us.  The  Spirit 
of  God  would  be  their  teacher  if  they  asked  His  aid.  They 
made  no  promise,  but  they  were  evidently  impressed. 

"  About  a  month,  or  six  weeks,  after  our  departure,  Rev. 
Makhiel  passed  by  Asyut  on  his  way  up  to  Kus.     He  had  in 
his  possession  a  copy  of  the  new  tract  called  *  The  Kus  Win- 
nowing Fan,'  a  discussion  which  took  place  in  writing  between 
the  evangelicals  of  Kus  and  Priest  Feltios  of  Tantah.     Father 
Buktor  got  the  copy  from  him  and  gave  him  money  to  buy 
another  when  a  supply  should  come  on.     He  took  the  book  to 
a  house  occupied  by  some  evangelical  monks  from  the  Deir  el- 
Moiiarrak,  and  which  during  their  stay  is  a  place  of  rendezvous 
for  all  inquirers  who  had  not  boldness  enough  to  come  to  the 
mission  house.     One  of   these  monks.    Priest  Boulas,    the 
brother  of  the  late  abbot  of  the  convent  just  mentioned,  and 
who  had  said  to  me  in  the  presence  of  twenty  or  thirty  of  the 
monks,  when  I  visited  the  convent  in  1862:    '  We  pray  much 
for  you  missionaries.     We  believe  you  to  be  the  angel  men- 
tioned in  the  Apocalypse,  Revelation  14:6.'     When  Father 
Buktor   presented   '  Tlie   Winnowing  Fan '   to    the    company 
assembled  at  Priest  Boulas'  home,  it  was  handed  to  the  boy 
Shenooda,  who  read  it  aloud  while  Kheir  turned  up  all  the  pas- 
sages, and  Athanasius  gave  explanations.     All  who  were  pres- 
ent on  the  first  day  were  more  or  less  enlightened  men,  and 
Athanasius  C(juld  speak  out  his  mind  freely  without  any  dan- 
ger ;  but  the  affair  got  noised  abroad  and  on  the  second  or  third 
day  several  strangers  called  to  hear  the  readings,  and  amongst 
others  Mr.  Abd  el-Malak  Surian,  whom  the  Patriarch  had  re- 
cently appointed  superintendent  of  the  Coptic  school  and  lay- 
head  of  the  sect.     On  the  entrance  of  this  dignitary  Athanasius' 
power  of  exposition  suddenly  failed  him,  Shenooda,  however, 
continued  to  read,  but  Athanasius  withdrew  to  a  distant  cor- 


IN  EGYPT.  247 

ner  of  the  room.  Shenooda  knew  very  well  what  ailed  him, 
and  he  twitted  him  so  mercilessly  that  he  was  fain  to  return  to 
his  post,  and  continue  his  explanations.  Point  after  point  was 
brought  up  :  transubstantiation,  the  worship  of  the  virgin, 
etc.,  etc.,  and  though  Athanasius  did  his  utmost  to  conceal  his 
own  views  when  attempting  to  balance  the  arguments  of  the 
disputing  parties,  he  could  do  so  no  longer  when  the  question 
was  put  to  him  point  blank,  *  What  do  you  believe.!*  Which  of 
the  two  has  the  truth  with  him?'  In  a  few  days  fifty  copies  of 
'  The  Winnowing  Fan '  arrived  from  Cairo  and  simultaneously 
with  the  sale  of  the  book  was  the  news  spread  through  the 
town,  *  Athanasius  says  the  people  of  Kus  have  beaten  Feltios 
in  the  argument.  Our  champion  has  deserted  us,  Athanasius 
is  in  league  with  the  Protestants.' 

"  The  news  of  the  defection  of  Athanasius  caused  great  talk 
and  stir  in  the  town.  All  kinds  of  absurd  stories  were  gotten 
up  to  account  for  it,  but  that  which  gained  most  currency  was 
that  he  had  been  bought  over  by  the  mission  for  the  respecta- 
ble sum  of  $750.  One  afternoon  the  conversation  fell  upon 
this  subject  at  Priest  Boulas'  house,  where  Shenooda,  the 
youngest  present,  addressed  the  party  somewhat  as  follows : 
*  Since  the  people  will  have  it  that  we  are  Protestants,  and 
give  it  out  that  some  of  us  are  in  the  pay  of  the  American  mis- 
sion, what  do  we  gain  by  attempting  to  keep  up  false  appear- 
ances ?  If  we  are  to  be  persecuted,  let  us  be  persecuted  for 
Christ's  sake  and  the  Gospel's,  and  then  we  shall  have  the 
Master's  blessing.'  Priest  Girgis,  who  was  present,  suggested 
that  they  should  lay  the  matter  before  God.  When  he  had 
prayed  a  paper  was  drawn  up  to  the  effect  that  the  under- 
signed would  make  it  their  endeavor  to  meet  every  night  at  the 
house  of  Athanasius  for  the  purpose  of  studying  together  the 
Word  of  God,  and  inviting  all  who  chose  to  join  with  them. 
It  was  signed  by  ten  or  twelve  at  once,  and  the  meeting  began 
that  same  night.  Numerous  attempts  were  made  by  the 
priests  and  Abd  el-Malak  Surian  to  induce  Athanasius  to  leave 
off,  but  he  steadily  refused  to  do  so.  He  maintained,  more- 
over, that  he  was  no  more  a  Protestant  than  they,  and  that  it 
was  as  much  the  duty  of  the  priests  as  it  was  his  to  meet 


248  The  aa\erican  Mission 

together  for  the  study  of  the  Scriptures.     Other  members  of 
the  laity  spoke  in  tlie  same  strain.     A  public  meeting  was 
called  and  a  resolution  was  passed  to  the  effect  that  a  meeting 
would  be  held  every  night  in  the  bishop's  house  from  two  hours 
before  till   one  after  sunset  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the 
Word  of  God  in  the  vernacular,  and  that  any  priest  who  should 
absent  himself  without  cause  from  the  meeting  would  be  re- 
ported to  the  Patriarch  and  degraded  from  his  office.     Athana- 
sius  and  his  associates  (about  fifteen  in  number)  agreed  to 
attend  these  meetings  on  condition  that  the  Scriptures  alone 
should  be  read,  a  condition  which  at  first  was  agreed  to  by  all. 
Although  it  had  been  agreed  to  avoid  all  discussions  on  contro- 
verted points  at  the  evening  meetings,  one  of  the  priests  the 
very  first  night  asked  Shenooda  to  read  the  sixth  chapter  of  the 
Gospel  by  John,  his  object  being  to  establish  the  doctrine  of 
transubstantiation.     This  led  to  a  discussion  and  gave  the  tone 
to  all  subsequent  meetings.      Large    numbers    were    drawn 
together  for  a  number  of  nights  in  succession  from  pure  curi- 
osity.    At  one  time  as  many  as  two  hundred  were  present. 
Priest  Hanna  conducted  the  meeting,  i.  e.,  he  selected  the  chap- 
ters to  be  read  and  called  upon  any  whom  he  chose  to  read  and 
expound.     He  was  afraid  to  read  himself,  or  call  on  any  brother 
priest  to  do  so,  for  the  young  men  of  Athanasius'  party  had 
Bibles  and  candles  in  their  hands,  and  they  corrected  most  un- 
mercifully even  the  f.lightest  mistake  made  by  any  priest  in 
reading  or  explaining  the  lesson.     They  took  particular  pains 
to  show  off  the  ignorance  of  the  spiritual  guides  of  the  people. 
This  indeed  was  no  difficult  matter.     '  Who  is  meant,  Father 
Hanna,  by  the  headstone  of  the  corner  ?'  asked  one  of  them 
of  the  leader  of  the  meeting.     '  Now  you  like  to  pose  us  with 
your   difficult   questions,'  was  his  reply,  'and  I  don't  choose 
to  give  you  any  answer.'   'Because  you  can't.'     '  If  1  can't, 
you  can;  then  what  was  the  use  of  asking  me.^'    Athanasius 
was  very  averse  to  these  squabblinus,  and  they  became  rarer 
after  a  time.     Then  those  who  came  for  curiosity's  sake  drop- 
ped off  by  degrees,  until  after  three  weeks  from  the  time  the 
meetings  began,  not  more  than  fifteen  on  an  average  attended 
it.     During  this  period  they  had  read  through  the  Gospels  and 


Muininies  in   Wood. 


IN  EGYPT.  249 

the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  On  opening  the  epistle  to  the 
Romans,  the  priests  rebelled  and  said  they  would  only  consent 
to  read  the  epistles  on  condition  that  the  commentaries  of 
the  fathers  were  read  at  the  same  time.  They  argued  that 
those  who  attended  the  meetings  were  still  weak  and  needed 
milk.  *  True,'  was  the  rejoinder,  'and  therefore  you  wish  us 
to  leave  the  true  milk  of  the  Word  and  go  munching  hard 
crusts.'  They  refused  to  yield,  and  therefore  Athanasius  and 
his  party  left  in  disgust  and  the  meeting  was  shortly  afterwards 
broken  up.  Athanasius  resumed  his  meeting,  but  with  a  some- 
what smaller  attendance  than  formerly.  Shortly  afterwards  he 
had  to  go  to  do  some  work  in  the  town  of  IViutiah,  and  he  was 
still  absent  when  we  returned  from  Cairo  in  the  beginning  of 
September. 

"  Meanwhile,  Shenooda  had  got  into  trouble.  The  causes 
of  his  trouble  were  chiefly  these  three  :  Firstly,  he  had  taken  a 
prominent  part  in  all  the  discussions  and  had  invariably  de- 
fended the  Protestant  doctrines  on  every  point  brought  up. 
Secondly,  he  had  been  meeting  with  some  of  his  companions  in 
the  Coptic  school,  for  the  study  of  the  Scriptures  and  prayer, 
and  this  not  only  during  week  days  in  one  of  the  school  rooms, 
but  also  in  his  own  house  on  Sabbath  afternoons.  Lastly,  he 
had  written  a  long  letter  to  Father  Paul  after  the  batter's  de- 
parture from  Asyut,  and  in  the  letter  he  hcKl  said  of  the  people 
in  Asyut,  in  general,  that  they  seemed  to  have  stopped  their 
ears  with  clay,  in  order  not  to  hear  the  voice  of  God  speaking 
to  them  in  His  holy  Word.  The  letter  was  taken  out  of  his 
pocket  while  he  slept  one  night  at  a  convent  outside  of  the 
town.  A  copy  of  it  was  sent  to  the  Patriarch  of  Cairo,  and 
nearly  twenty  copies  are  now  in  circulation  among  the  priests 
and  people  of  Asyut.  His  story  is  a  long  and  very  touching 
one.  From  being  the  pet  of  the  Coptic  school,  nay  of  the 
whole  town,  he  was  made  the  laughing  stock  of  all.  *  Make 
way  for  the  young  bishop  !'  *  Here  comes  the  grave  confessor !' 
*  Have  I,  too,  got  clay  in  my  ears,  Shenooda  ?'  By  these  and 
similar  taunts  he  was  assailed  on  every  side,  in  the  school  and 
out  jf  it,  until  he  was  obliged  for  a  time  to  remain  at  home  to 
escape  from  his  tormentors.     If  we  had  returned  a  week  sooner 


250  The  American  Mission 

his  father  would  have  allowed  him  to  come  to  our  school  at  once, 
but  the  teachers  of  the  Coptic  school  being  aware  of  this,  got 
his  uncles,  who  are  bigoted  Copts,  to  interfere,  and  Shenooda 
was  sent  back  to  school  just  two  days  before  our  return.  He 
called  on  us  almost  immediately  after  our  arrival,  and  told  me 
the  story  of  his  trials.  He  called  again  next  day,  and  we 
prayed  together,  and  1  never  heard  a  boy  of  fourteen  years  of 
age  make  such  a  prayer.  A  fortnight  after  our  return  the 
excitement  ran  so  high  that  Shenooda's  father  forbade  him  com- 
ing near  us,  and  threatened  to  punish  him  severely  if  he 
accosted  any  of  us  even  in  the  street.  Meanwhile,  Dr.  John- 
ston had  arrived,  and  Shenooda,  when  debarred  from  coming  to 
us,  contrived  to  visit  him  every  day  in  order  to  have  the  bene- 
fit of  his  counsels  and  prayers.  Shenooda,  having  learned  a 
little  English,  took  his  younger  brother,  who  had  sore  eyes, 
and  thus  saved  appearances  for  a  time.  One  day,  however, 
his  brother  went  alone,  taking  the  following  note  from  She- 
nooda : 
"  '  D.  R.  Johnston, 

"'  Dear  Sir — 1  am  very  sorry  that  I  was  hindered  from 
coming  to  you  by  my  parents'  relatives,  and  all  our  neighbors, 
but  1  hope  that  all  this  enemy  will  finally  do  better.  Please 
give  my  brother  some  medicine  for  his  eyes,  and  send  me  a 
little  piece  of  paper  to  tell  me  about  the  price  of  the  former 
ones  and  the  latter  that  they  may  be  sent.  Pray  that  God 
may  encourage  us. 

"  'S.  HaNNA.' 

"  It  was  more  than  a  month  after  this  ere  '  all  his  enemy  ' 
commenced  'to  do  better,'  but  Shenooda's  prayers  and  ours 
were  answered  at  last  and  in  a  way  not  anticipated  by  us.  A 
commission  was  sent  by  the  viceroy  to  examine  the  schools  in 
upper  Egypt  connected  with  the  government.  The  Coptic 
school  was  examined  with, the  rest.  The  head  teacher  of  the 
school  tried  to  prevent  Shenooda  from  being  examined,  and 
when  challenged  by  Mr.  Weesa  Buktor  for  attempting  to  de- 
grade the  cleverest  boy  in  the  school,  replied  that  Shenooda  was 
clever  in  preaching  and  praying,  but  in  nothing  else.  She- 
nooda had  meanwhile  gone  out,  and  Mr.  Wecsa  caused  him  to 
be  sent  for  and  i-xamintkl  like  the  rest  of  the  class.     The  gov- 


IN  EGYPT.  251 

ernor  of  the  province  of  Asyut,  who  was  present,  told  Mr. 
Weesa  afterwards  that  Rafia  Bey  had  marked  Shenooda  No.  i. 
Shenooda's  father  had  never  believed  the  boy's  report  of  his 
treatment  in  the  Coptic  school,  but  now  he  doubted  its  truth  no 
longer,  and  from  that  day  till  now  Shenooda  has  been  in  attend- 
ance at  the  theological  class,  and  his  father  has  been  a  constant 
attendant  at  all  our  religious  services.  At  the  instance  of  Mr. 
Hanna  Buktor,  the  latter  at  one  time  gave  up  drinking  Arab 
whiskey,  to  which  he  was  greatly  addicted,  but  he  resumed  it 
again  because  his  friends  accused  him  of  joining  the  Protes- 
tants !  Now,  however,  he  glories  in  total  abstinence  and  also 
in  his  Protestantism,  and  when  the  governor  of  Asyut  ordered 
him  to  send  his  boy  back  to  the  Coptic  school  he  answered  the 
pasha  that  the  thing  was  impossible.  If  obliged  to  take  him 
away  from  the  seminary,  he  would  send  him  to  learn  a  trade, 
but  he  would  not  send  him  back  to  the  Coptic  school.  A  special 
thanksgiving  service  was  held  by  the  brethren  in  Mr.  Wasif's 
house  on  the  Sabbath  after  Shenooda's  deliverance.  Hanna 
Buktor  had  asked  him  what  he  would  do  if  the  Lord  answered 
his  prayers,  would  he  preach  a  sermon  ?  *  Yes,'  said  he,  '  I 
will,'  and  he  did  so,  choosing  for  his  text  the  great  burden  of 
all  our  preaching  :  '  God  so  loved  the  world,'  etc. 

"  We  arrived  in  Asyut  on  Wednesday  forenoon,  September 
9,  and  commenced  an  evening  service  that  same  night.  The 
attendance  was  nearly  twice  as  large  as  it  was  previous  to  our 
departure  for  Cairo.  The  number  of  lanterns  moving  along 
the  street  in  all  directions  three  hours  after  sunset,  as  the 
worshipers  dispersed  and  returned  to  their  dwellings,  soon  made 
the  clergy  aware  of  what  was  going  on,  and  having  suborned  a 
young  man,  the  bishop's  nephew,  who  came  one  night  and 
wrote  down  the  names  of  the  Asyutians  present,  they  drew  up 
a  roli  which  was  read  in  church  on  Sabbath,  September  26,  de- 
nouncing all  who  attended  our  meetings,  but  without  mention- 
ing any  names.  This  had  a  threefold  effect.  It  drove  away 
some  ;  it  brought  others  who  had  not  heard  of  our  meetings  ;  it 
made  some  take  a  bolder  stand  than  they  had  hitherto  done. 
Among  the  last-mentioned  was  Athanasius  and  his  brothers, 
Marcus  and  his  brothers,  and  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor,  brother  of  Mr. 


252  The  American  Mission 

Wesa  Buktnr,  the  American  consular-agent  at  Kena.  These 
were  singled  out  and  a  special  curse  was  issued  against  them, 
except  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor,  whom  they  dared  not  mention  by 
name  on  account  of  his  high  position.  This  took  place  on  Fri- 
day, October  2,  the  feast  of  St,  Badir,  the  patron  saint  of  the 
church  at  Asyut.  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor  called  on  the  bishop,  and 
asked  him  why  he  had  omitted  his  name,  since  he  was  as  great 
a  defaulter  as  the  poor  carpenters.  '  I  know  that  quite  well,' 
replied  the  old  man,  '  but  you  and  your  brother  and  Mr.  Wasif 
got  a  special  dispensation  from  the  Patriarch  last  )-ear.'  Hanna 
replied  that  he  did  not  want  a  special  dispensation  from  the 
Patriarch  or  anyone  else.  If  it  was  a  sin  for  the  carpenters  to 
attend  Dr.  Hogg's  meetings,  it  was  a  sin  for  him  to  do  so,  too, 
and  no  dispensation  of  the  Patriarch  would  alter  the  moral  char- 
acter of  his  action  in  the  matter.  *  I  am  ready,  moreover,'  he 
added,  '  to  give  over  attending  the  night  meetings  at  the  mission 
house  upon  two  conditions,  viz.:  That  you  read  a  haram  *  next 
Sabbath  against  all  who  use  intoxicating  drinks  ;  and,  secondly, 
that  you  open  a  night  meeting  in  the  church  for  the  study  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  grant  permission  to  all  of  every  creed  to  attend 
it,  even  the  American  missionary,  if  he  chooses  to  do  so.'  The 
bishop  actually  gave  Mr.  Hanna  permission  to  read  a  paper 
against  the  drinking  of  arrack, f  and  the  latter,  satisfied  with 
this  concession,  and  hoping  that  the  other  would  be  granted  ere 
long,  came  straight  to  the  mission  house  along  with  Mr.  Wasif 
and  another  man,  and  begged  of  me  to  draw  upas  strong  a  paper 
as  possible  against  the  use  of  arrack,  as  a  counterblast  to  the 
haram  of  the  previous  day.  1  set  to  work  at  once  and  prepared 
an  article  such  as  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor  wanted,  exposing  the  vice 
of  drunkenness,  especially  in  those  who  held  the  sacred  office  of 
the  ministry  of  the  Gospel.  It  was  written  chiefly  in  the  words 
of  Scripture,  and  there  was  added  to  it  at  the  close  the  orthodox 
apostolic  haram  :  '  If  any  man  that  is  called  a  brother  be  a 
fornicator,  or  covetous,  or  an  idolator,  or  a  railer,  or  a  drunk- 
ard, or  an  exiortioner,  with  such  a  one,  no,  not  to  eat.'  Next 
day  at  the  close  of  the  mass,  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor  called  out  aloud 
to  the  officiating  priest  that  he  had  an  address  which  he  wished 
•  Excommunication,  t  Whiskey. 


IN   HGYPT. 


253 


to  be  read  to  the  congregation,  and  that  the  bishop  had  given 
his  consent  to  its  being  read. 

"  '  We  know  what  you  wish  to  be  at,'  the  priest  replied,  in 
great  dudgeon  ;  *  you  wish  to  lower  us  in  the  eyes  of  the  people, 
in  order  to  lead  them  astray  at  your  will.  We  know  our  duty 
without  asking  you  to  come  and  teach  us.' 

"Mr.  Hanna  replied  that  if  he  did  perhaps  others  did  not. 
*  The  paper  I  wish  to  read  would  do  no  harm  to  you  or  to  any- 
one else  who  wanted  to  lead  a  Christian  life.'  Only  two  days 
ago  the  people  had  been  publicly  reproved  for  the  sin  of  reading 
the  Bible.  There  was  another  sin  of  which  a  much  greater 
number  of  them  were  guilty,  the  sin  of  drunkenness.  '  The 
paper  which  I  hold  in  my  hand  exposes  this  sin,  and  I  am  re- 
solved that  it  shall  be  read.' 

"  *  It  shall  not  be  read,'  was  the  curt  reply. 

"  *  Then  you  hold  it  is  unlawful  to  read  the  Bible,  and  law- 
ful to  drink  arrack?  ' 

"  '  Yes,  it  is  lawful  to  drink  arrack,'  replied  the  priest. 

"  A  scene  of  indescribable  confusion  followed,  some  calling 
out  one  thing  and  some  another.  An  attempt  was  made  to  read 
the  paper,  but  not  a  word  of  it  could  be  heard  ;  and  at  length, 
seeing  the  uselessness  of  persisting  in  the  attempt,  Mr.  Hanna 
Buktor  called  out  to  his  companions  to  come  off  with  him  to  the 
mission  house,  'and  leave  Ephraim  to  his  idols.' 

"  The  priest  then  became  thoroughly  alarmed  at  the  aspect 
of  affairs.  With  Mr.  Hanna  Buk'tor  and  Mr.  Wasif  Khayat  at 
their  head  (two  of  the  richest  men  in  Asyut),  the  Protestant 
sect  would  become  a  power  in  the  city.  Something  must  be 
done.  Several  attempts  were  made  to  bring  about  a  compro- 
mise, but  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor  stuck  to  the  second  condition  men- 
tioned above,  to  wit.,  that  a  meeting  be  opened  in  the  church 
for  the  study  of  the  Bible,  to  which  all,  even  the  Muslims,  be 
invited  to  come  if  they  wished. 

"  '  I  am  quite  willing,'  he  said  one  day  to  a  deputation  of 
the  leading  members  of  the  laity,  who  called  upon  him  to  try 
and  bring  him  round,  '  1  am  quite  willing  to  allow  you  to  decide 
for  yourselves  as  to  the  propriety  or  impropriety  of  allowing  the 
Protestants  to  attend  our  meetings,  and  1  am  prepared  to  abide 


254  The  American  Mission 

by  your  decision.  Let  us  invite  Dr.  Hogg  to  any  place  you 
may  fix  upon,  and  ask  him  to  read  and  explain  a  chapter  of  the 
Bible.  If  his  exposition  please  you,  invite  him  to  our  meetings. 
If  it  does  not  please  you,  I  will  not  press  my  proposal.'  '  He 
will  be  with  us,'  was  their  reply.  '  No,'  said  he,  *  the  Gospel 
hook  will  lay  hold  of  you.' 

"  This  negotiation  failed.  Hanna  continued  to  attend  all 
our  meetings,  and  he  never  came  alone.  In  their  perplexity,  a 
special  messenger  was  sent  to  Cairo  to  inform  the  Patriarch  of 
Mr.  Hanna  Buktor's  defection,  and  asking  him  to  do  whatever 
his  wisdom  might  direct  in  the  premises.  The  Patriarch's  re- 
ply was  very  different  from  what  the  priests  had  expected. 
Not  a  word  of  reference  was  made  to  the  '  White  Nile  '  or  to 
the  viceroy's  wrath.  The  priests  were  blamed  for  having  acted 
foolishly,  and  charged  to  try  what  they  could  do  to  win  him 
back.  He  apostrophized  his  dear  son,  Hanna,  and  told  him  he 
never  expected  this  of  him,  and  concluded  by  beseeching  him 
to  beware  of  causing  his  weak  brethren  to  offend,  and  bringing 
upon  himself  the  woes  mentioned  in  the  Gospel. 

"  Before  this  letter  arrived,  Mr.  Hanna  had  expressed  his 
desire  to  unite  with  us  in  church  fellowship,  and  the  arrival  of 
the  epistle  in  no  way  altered  his  desire.  A  message  had  been 
sent  him  the  previous  Sabbath,  October  i8,  from  the  Saviour 
Himself,  in  a  sermon  preached  by  me  from  Luke  14:  15-24,  in- 
viting him  to  the  sacramental  feast,  and  although  he  saw  himself 
to  be  the  chief  of  sinners  and  unworthy  of  the  lowest  seat  at 
such  a  feast,  neither  bishop  nor  Patriarch  would  prevent  his 
accepting  his  Saviour's  invitation. 

"  But  what  of  the  carpenters.?  The  haram  of  October  2 
had  been  mainly  directed  against  them,  and  indeed  they  were 
mentioned  in  it  by  name.  Their  case  was  very  different  from 
Mr.  Hanna  Buktor's.  He,  as  the  elder  of  two  brothers  whose 
parents  are  dead,  and  who  have  risen  from  poverty  to  the 
highest  position  in  the  town,  was  free  to  act  as  he  chose.  They 
(Marcus  anJ  Athanasius)  have  each  a  number  of  brothers  and 
sisters  older  and  younger  than  themselves,  and  three  of  their 
parents  are  still  alive,  and  all  their  relatives  were  brought 
under  the  haram,  as  well  as  they.     To  compliinte  matters  still 


IN  Egypt.  255 

more,  there  .was  a  proposal  of  marriage  between  one  of  Marcus' 
brothers  and  a  sister  of  Athanasius,  and  the  wedding  had  been 
fixed  to  take  place  on  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  October.  The 
bishop  was  aware  of  this,  for  he  had  been  asked  to  perform  the 
ceremony  and  had  intimated  his  willingness  to  do  so  at  the 
time.  The  priests  saw  the  opportunity,  and  obliged  the  bishop 
(who  is  a  mere  tool  in  their  hands)  to  issue  the  second  haram 
before  the  marriage  would  take  place,  and  to  state  distinctly  at 
the  close  of  it  that  if  any  priest  should  venture  to  marry  them 
until  Marcus  and  Athanasius  had  recanted  their  errors  and  re- 
turned to  the  bosom  of  their  mother  Church,  he  would  be  de- 
graded from  his  holy  office  and  reported  to  the  Patriarch. 
Marcus,  who  had  previously  invited  us  all  to  the  marriage,  and 
had  consented,  at  my  request,  that  it  should  take  place  on  Sat- 
urday afternoon  instead  of  Sabbath  evening,  did  his  utmost  to 
persuade  his  parents  and  brothers  to  allow  me  to  conduct  the 
ceremony,  and  have  the  priests  to  bite  their  fingers  in  impotent 
despair.  His  brothers  were  all  willing,  except  the  one  most 
deeply  interested,  i.  e.,  the  bridegroom,  but  the  old  folks  would 
not  hear  of  it,  and  his  father  went  off  to  the  bishop  on  Saturday 
morning,  accompanied  by  Athanasius,  the  brother  of  the  bride, 
and  several  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Coptic  sect,  in  order  to 
compound  matters,  if  possible.  Marcus  followed  them,  deter- 
mined in  his  mind  that  they  should  not  bind  him  over  to  any  course 
of  conduct  which  his  conscience  disapproved.  *  You  must  give 
your  solemn  promise,'  said  the  bishop  to  him,  'that  you  will  cease 
henceforth  to  frequent  the  meetings  at  the  American  mission 
house,  otherwise  the  haram  shall  continue  in  force  against  you 
and  all  your  relatives.'  *  Here  is  my  answer,'  Marcus  replied,  with 
great  spirit,  while  some  of  those  presenttried  to  prevent  him  from 
speaking.  *  Though  your  haram  stretched  from  heaven  to 
earth,  I  trample  it  under  my  feet.  You  have  no  right  to  pre- 
vent me  from  reading  God's  Word,  nor  from  hearing  it 
expounded  by  those  who  can  explain  it  to  me.  Athanasius  and 
the  rest  may  compromise  matters  as  they  choose,  but  I,  for  one, 
shall  not  hold  myself  bound  by  their  engagements.'  So  saying 
he  left  the  hall  and  came  and  told  me  what  he  had  done.  This 
example,  doubtless,  had  a  great  effect  upon  his  timid  cousin. 


256  The  American  Mission 

for  even  he  refused  to  give  over  attending  our  services.  If 
they  could  prove  that  our  doctrines  were  contrary  to  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Bible,  he  would  cease  all  communications  with  us 
forthwith,  but  on  no  other  condition.  It  was  accordingly  agreed 
upon,  after  a  long  and  fruitless  discussion,  that  Priest  Gabriel 
should  be  sent  for  from  Tahta,  a  town  about  thirty  miles  south 
of  Asyut,  and  that  Athanasius  should  receive  him  into  his 
house  and  listen  to  his  instructions.  The  said  Gabriel  is  a  one- 
eyed  monk  of  considerable  mental  acumen,  who  is  regarded  by 
the  Copts  of  upper  Egypt  as  a  very  Solomon.  Even  Athana- 
sius, up  to  date  of  his  visit,  regarded  him  with  great  respect. 
I  met  him  one  night  in  Mr.  Wasif's  house.  Like  all  true  Copts, 
he  stoutly  denied  the  possibility  of  Christ  being  God,  and  yet 
interceding  for  us  in  heaven,  and  in  the  course  of  a  friendly 
conversation  with  him  on  this  subject  I  asked  him  if  he  would 
not  believe  this  doctrine,  on  which  hangs  the  very  life  of  every 
true  Christian,  if  I  were  to  read  six  or  seven  passages  in  which 
it  was  taught  in  so  many  words.  *  No,' said  he,  *  I  will  not.  1 
cannot  believe  it.  How  can  He  be  judge  and  intercessor  in 
one  ?*  He  came  when  sent  for  by  the  bishop,  and  took  up  his 
quarters  at  the  house  of  Athanasius,  but  after  two  or  three 
weeks  he  found  his  own  faith  wavering  on  this  very  point. 
Athanasius  made  several  attempts  to  bring  him  to  the  mission 
house,  but,  failing  in  this,  some  of  the  brethren  called  repeat- 
edly on  him  and  spent  the  evening  in  long  discussions  with  hiin, 
until  they  fairly  drove  him  out  of  town. 

"  And  what  of  the  marriage  ?  Well,  when  Athanasius 
promised  to  place  himself  under  priest  Gabriel's  instructions 
the  bishop  felt  inclined  to  yield  the  point,  and  gave  a  kind  of 
half  promise  to  perform  the  ceremony  next  Sabbath  evening, 
on  his  return  from  marrying  two  other  couples  that  were  to  be 
married  the  same  night.  On  the  strength  of  this  promise  the 
preparations  were  proceeded  with,  and  the  bride  was  conducted 
to  the  house  of  the  bridegroom.  It  became  apparent,  however, 
in  the  course  of  the  day  that  the  priests  had  resolved  to  pre- 
vent the  bishop  from  performing  the  ceremony,  and  when 
evening  came  they  sent  to  the  governor  for  a  bodyguard  to 
protect  the  bishop  from   being  seized  by  the  carpenters  and 


IN  Egypt.  257 

obliged  to  perform  the  ceremony  by  force.  As  the  hours  of  the 
night  advanced  and  no  bishop  appeared,  Marcus  repeated  his 
previous  proposal  that  I  should  be  sent  for,  but  still  the  old  peo- 
ple held  out.  At  last,  when  it  was  near  the  midnight  hour  and 
all  hope  had  vanished,  it  was  agreed  upon  by  all  that  ex-priest 
Buktor  who,  before  he  became  a  Protestant,  had  occupied 
nearly  as  high  a  position  in  the  Coptic  Church  as  the  bishop 
himself,  should  be  asked  to  marry  the  forlorn  pair.  In  twenty 
minutes  they  were  one. 

"  The  bishop,  accompanied  by  the  lay  head  of  the  Coptic 
Church  at  Asyut,  called  on  the  governor  next  morning  and 
accused  ex-priest  Buktor  of  insubordination,  but  the  governor 
pretended  not  to  hear  them,  and  turned  the  conversation  to 
something  else,  thus  giving  them  to  understand  that  they  must 
settle  their  ecclesiastical  quarrels  among  themselves.  An  effort 
was  made  by  the  priests  to  induce  the  married  pair  to  allow 
them  to  perform  the  cermony  over  again,  but  it  failed.  Only 
one  resource  was  left  them — the  inevitable  haram— but  this 
bugbear  had  lost  its  powers  in  the  family  of  the  carpenters." 
I  have  quoted  thus  largely  from  articles  written  by  Brother 
Hogg,  and  published  soon  after  the  events  took  place,  to  show 
the  intense  excitement,  the  opposition  of  the  clergy,  the  great 
obstacles  that  true  inquirers  met  with  at  the  beginning  of  the 
work  in  Asyut,  and  the  mighty  influence  of  Gospel  truth  to  im- 
part moral  courage  and  carry  the  lover  of  it  onward  to  over- 
come every  opposition  and  obstacle.  Indeed,  these  same 
scenes  were  enacted  over  and  over  again  at  the  beginning  of 
the  work  in  every  new  place.  As  evidence  of  the  change  of 
policy  the  Patriarch  was  obliged  to  use  towards  mission  work 
in  Asyut,  as  soon  as  such  public  men  as  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor  and 
Mr.  Wasif  Khayat  came  out  boldly  on  the  side  of  Protestant- 
ism. I  will  quote  from  a  communication  of  Dr.  Hogg's,  written 
at  the  time,  concerning  a  visit  of  Amba  Butros,  the  metropoli- 
tan bishop  of  Cairo:  "This  important  personage  arrived  in 
Asyut  on  a  health  tour  through  upper  Egypt  when  matters  had 
fairly  reached  a  crisis.  The  clergy  of  the  town  rejoiced  greatly 
at  his  opportune  appearance  on  the  scene,  and  naturally  ex- 
pected that  he  would  call  the  delinquents,  even  Mr.  Hanna 
17 


258  The  American  Mission 

Buktor,  to  account,  and  put  all  things  straight  in  a  very  short 
time.  They  were  doomed  to  be  grievously  disappointed.  He 
remained  here  (Asyut)  over  a  fortnight  on  his  way  up  the 
river,  and  spent  several  days  at  the  landing-place  opposite  the 
town  on  his  return.  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor  was  in  his  company 
nearly  all  the  time,  and  indeed  he  was  his  guest,  or  Mr.  Wasif 
Khayat's,  during  the  whole  of  his  stay.  When  a  large  com- 
pany v\'as  present,  he  generally  was  chary  of  committing  him- 
self, but  when  only  two  or  three  persons  were  present  he 
spoke  out  freely.  On  such  occasions  he  would  say  it  is  only 
an  affair  of  three  or  four  years  and  the  whole  Coptic  church 
will  be  Protestant.  Even  now  we  say  in  Cairo,  '  The  Lord 
build  up  the  houses  of  the  simpletons !  for  it  is  all  that  is  left  to 
us.'  He  refused  to  interfere  in  the  troubles  that  were  agitating 
the  sect,  on  the  plea  that  he  could  not  do  so  without  instruc- 
tions from  the  Patriarch,  adding  that  if  the  Patriarch  had  given 
him  authority  to  interfere  he  would  have  removed  the  present 
head  of  the  sect  and  appointed  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor  or  Mr.  Wasif 
Khayat  in  his  stead  ;  that  he  would  have  given  the  latter  per- 
mission to  open  an  evening  meeting  in  the  church  for  the  study 
of  the  Scriptures,  and  to  bring  the  cleverest  Protestant  that 
could  be  had,  especially  one  who  knew  enough  English  to  con- 
sult the  commentaries  in  that  language  (as  they  did  at  the 
meeting  of  the  patriarchate  in  Cairo),  and  the  priest  that  was 
too  proud  to  learn  would  have  to  choose  another  calling,  for  he 
was  unfit  to  be  a  teacher  of  the  people.  He  was  Hanna  Buk- 
tor's  guest  when  the  latter  joined  in  communion.  Hanna  Buk- 
tor told  him  what  he  had  done.  '  May  the  Lord  give  you  grace 
to  act  up  to  your  profession,'  was  the  matran's  reply.  '  I 
would  have  done  the  same  myself,'  he  added,  '  were  I  as  free 
as  you  are.'  'Then  why  do  you  not  do  so?'  Hanna  Buktor 
instantly  said,  '  Think  of  the  thousands  of  souls  which  your 
present  conduct  is  leading  astray  to  their  destruction.'  '  Silence, 
sir !'  he  replied,  '  to  my  own  Master  I  stand  or  fall.' 

"  On  the  Sabbath  evening  a  large  company  was  assem- 
bled in  Mr.  Wasif's  house,  where  the  metropolitan  was  then 
staying.  Speaking  of  the  Bible,  the  old  man  said,  '  My  own 
friends,   read  the   Bible,     it  is  a  good  book.     1  never  tire  of 


IN  Egypt.  259 

reading  it.  I  have  read  it  nearly  five  hundred  times  from 
beginning  to  end,  and  yet  during  my  present  voyage  on  the 
Nile  1  have  done  nothing  but  read  it  from  morning  till  night, 
and  1  never  enjoyed  it  so  much  before.'  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor  re- 
peated this  speech  to  me  next  day,  and  there  were  gathering 
tears,  both  in  his  eyes  and  mine,  ere  he  had  done.  He  plead 
with  Hanna  and  Wasif  on  the  morning  of  his  departure  not  to 
leave  the  Church  of  their  fathers  altogether.  A  reformation 
was  coming  on  in  the  Church  itself.  They  could  do  much  to 
forward  it  by  keeping  up  some  connection  with  it.  It  was  a 
saddening  sight  to  him  to  see  the  best  men  leaving  it,  though  he 
could  hardly  blame  them.  As  I  said  before,  the  metropolitan 
was  generally  careful  to  conceal  his  true  sentiments  when 
in  a  large,  promiscuous  company,  but  they  soon  became 
known  to  all  in  the  town,  and  the  effect  of  his  late  visit  had 
been  very  different  from  that  of  his  former  one,  in  March, 
1865,  when  he  came  as  the  Patriarch's  envoy  to  warn  the 
people  of  Asyut  against  us  and  our  doctrines.  During  his 
first  visit  none  dared  to  come  to  our  house  or  to  be  seen 
accosting  us  in  the  streets.  During  his  second  visit  thirty- 
nine  natives  sat  down  with  us  at  the  Lord's  table,  seventeen  of 
whom  had  never  done  so  before,  and  this  was  done  in  the  pres- 
ence of  seventy  or  eighty  witnesses.  So  mightily  did  the  Word 
of  God  prevail,  and  so  powerfully  did  God  make  all  things 
work  together  for  good." 

The  ingathering  from  Asyut  in  the  form  of  numbers  added 
by  profession  during  1868  was  thirteen,  and  those  from  the 
neighboring  towns  and  villages  were  fifteen.  Some  of  these 
towns  and  villages  :  Mutiah,  Sahil  Salem,  Ekhmim,  and  Nak- 
hailah.  Of  those  from  the  latter  place  was  Girgis  Abeid,  who 
afterwards  became  pastor  in  Ekhmim,  and  of  those  who  came 
from  Mutiah  was  Girgis  Rephail,  afterwards  pastor  in  Mellawi, 
but  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Pinkerton  he  became  a  Plym- 
outhite,  and  is  now  the  leader  of  that  schismatic  body  in  the 
region  of  Asyut.  The  leaven  of  Divine  truth  continued  to 
work  mightily  in  Mutiah  and  Bagore  during  1868,  but  not 
much  was  done  in  the  other  places  on  account  of  the  absence  of 
workers  by  their  attendance  at  the  theological  seminary. 


26o  The  American  Mission 

Coming  down  to  the  Faiyum,  where  Brother  Harvey- 
labored,  it  may  be  said  that  the  year  1868  had  its  record  of 
joys,  sorrows,  and  encouragements.  The  hearts  of  the  work- 
ers and  the  friends  of  Gospel  truth  were  made  sad  by  the  death 
of  Makhiel  Hanein,  who  from  the  first  was  one  of  the  most 
regular  and  attentive  at  all  the  meetings  for  the  study  of  God's 
Word  and  prayer.  Possessed  of  a  superior  mind,  which  seemed 
to  be  under  the  sanctifying  influences  of  divine  grace,  he  had 
made  rapid  progress  in  religious  knowledge  and  Christian  ex- 
perience. His  severe  afflictions  and  numerous  trials  were  the 
means,  under  Divine  direction,  of  preparing  him  for  his  depar- 
ture from  this  world  of  sin  and  trial.  On  the  other  hand,  it 
was  during  1868  that  Ibrahim  Moosa,  though  brought  up  as  a 
Muslim  in  his  father's  house,  received  all  his  instruction  in  the 
mission  school  in  Alexandria  and  had  been  a  Christian  at  heart 
for  many  years,  made  an  open  profession  of  his  faith  in  Christ 
as  the  divine  Saviour,  while  assisting  Brother  Harvey  in  the 
capacity  of  a  teacher  and  evangelist  in  this  district.  He  has 
since  become  widely  known  to  many  in  Egypt  and  America, 
and  justly  esteemed  for  his  quiet  earnestness  and  Christian 
character.  Two  others  made  a  public  profession  of  their  faith 
and  were  admitted  to  church  fellowship. 

During  the  year  the  people  of  Sinoris  had  furnished  a  house 
for  religious  services  and  for  a  school,  and  agreed  to  bear  one- 
fourth  of  the  expenses  of  the  school  for  the  present,  and  prom- 
ised to  increase  their  share  of  the  expenses  as  the  number  of 
scholars  increased,  hoping  at  an  early  date  to  assume  the 
whole. 

Coming  down  to  Cairo,  we  find  that  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lansing 
were  absent  in  Syria  and  then  in  Scotland  from  early  spring 
until  the  end  of  the  year.  Dr.  Hogg  spent  a  half  year  there, 
from  March  to  September,  taking  Dr.  Lansing's  place  in  the 
work  of  collecting  and  preparing  matter  for  the  press,  while  he 
also  aided  Dr.  Barnett  in  the  work  of  the  congregation.  Mr. 
Strang  had  charge  of  the  boys'  school  and  the  business  depart- 
ment. 

Among  the  nine  persons  who  united  with  the  churcli  on 
May  26,  was  Makhiel  Abd-es-Seyyed,  who,  with  AbduUa  Zaki, 


IN  Egypt.  261 

has  been  a  teacher  for  many  years  in  the  boys'  school.  The 
various  departments  were  carried  on  during  the  year — the 
preaching  and  evening  meetings  in  Arabic,  the  Turkish  and 
Armenian  service,  the  boys'  and  girls'  schools. 

There  was  no  special  interest  manifested  except  that  the 
natives  commenced  a  girls'  school  on  their  own  account  in 
Bulak  and  employed  Miss  R.  Gregory  to  take  charge  of  it  for 
a  time.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Cairo  congregation,  Mr.  Ibrahim 
Yusif,  one  of  the  students  of  theology  from  Cairo,  was  elected 
pastor,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  lay  the  call  before 
him,  and  in  case  of  his  acceptance  to  assign  him  trials  for 
license. 

Coming  down  to  Alexandria,  it  is  to  be  noticed  that  the 
native  congregation  there  was  organized  with  one  ruling  elder 
and  two  deacons,  and  there  was  an  addition  of  fifteen  new 
members  on  confession  of  their  faith.  The  members  also 
showed  their  faith  by  their  works  and  their  liberality,  for  they 
contributed  of  their  small  means  over  one-third  of  the  salary 
of  the  native  evangelist  who  labored  among  them. 

The  girls'  school  under  the  management  and  instruction  of 
Miss  S.  Gregory  was  in  an  encouraging  state.  The  tuition  fees 
amounted  to  $147.  The  boys'  school  had  100  on  the  roll  and 
brought  in  $1 17  of  tuitions.     Books  were  sold  for  ;^2io. 

Thus,  at  every  station,  there  was  sufficient  ingathering  to 
encourage  the  hearts  of  the  workers,  and  the  opportunities  of 
sowing  the  seed  were  everywhere  multiplying  and  were  being 
improved. 

It  should  be  added  that  the  Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing  and  family 
sailed  from  America  on  September  16,  and  reached  Egypt  about 
the  middle  of  October,  remaining  in  Ramleh  for  some  time 
after.  The  writer  and  his  wife  left  America  November  12,  on 
the  steamship  "  TerrifTa,"  and  arrived  in  Egypt  about  the 
middle  of  December. 


262  The  American  Mission 


CHAPTER  XVll. 

1869— Mr.  Schlotthaur,  colporteur  evangelist— Changes  and  appointments  of 
missionaries— Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing  chosen  bv  lot  pastor  in  Cairo— Writer  sent  to 
Monsurah— Character  of  people  there— Work  in  Cairo— Tragic  death  of  Miss 
Hart— Influence  on  the  work— Book  department— Work  in  Minya— In  Asyut— 
Encouraging  accession— Family  persecution— Breaking  of  pictures  in  Coptic 
church—Great  excitement— Confession  and  imprisonment  of  the  perpetrators — 
Copts  rejoice — Unexpected  release— Re-imprisonment  and  banishment  to  Esna — 
Release  after  a  time— Beginning  to  build  a  church  at  Asyut— Change  of  Asyut 
market  day— Visits  to  villages— Brother  Currie  in  Kus,  then  Iskaros— Rev.  B.  F. 
Pinkerton  becomes  a  Plvmouthite  and  spreads  his  views— Strange  actions — 
Anxiety  among  the  missionaries— Mr.  Pinkerton's  views  spread— He  resigns  and 
goes  to  America— Dr.  Lansing  for  a  time  in  Alexandria— Press  and  Brother 
Strang  removed  to  Alexandria— Sickness  and  death  of  Brother  Currie— Grief  of 
the  brethren  in  Kus. 

Presbytery  met  in  Cairo  January  5,  1869,  in  annual  ses- 
sion. All  the  members  were  present  except  Dr.  Lansing,  who, 
with  his  family,  was  still  in  Great  Britain.  At  the  meeting. 
Brother  Currie,  on  behalf  of  the  committee  on  colportage,  re- 
ported that  he  had  communicated  with  Mr.  Schlotthaur  (a  man 
from  Holland),  recommended  to  the  mission,  informing  him  of 
the  proposal  of  the  mission  to  employ  him  as  an  evangelist  and 
colporteur,  and  to  give  him  the  use  of  the  "  Morning  Star  "  for 
itineracy  and  colportage  ;  and  Mr.  Schlotthaur  had  accepted 
the  proposal  and  entered  upon  his  work,  and  was  giving 
monthly  reports  of  the  same.  At  the  meeting  Miss  McKown's 
request  to  return  home  in  the  spring  was  heartily  endorsed  by 
presbytery.  She  had  been  in  the  country  since  the  autumn  of 
i860,  and  in  As\'ut  most  of  the  time  since  the  beginning  of 
1865,  and  not  only  needed,  but  deserved  a  change.  It  was  re- 
solved also  at  this  meeting  to  detach  Dr.  Barnett  from  the 
charge  of  the  native  congregation  at  Cairo,  and  appoint  him  in 
charge  of  the  whole  department  of  book  supply  and  distribution 
in  Egypt,  and  also  to  the  special  charge  ot  the  English  preach- 
ing in  Cairo  and  the  duties  connected  with  the  visiting  of  those 
who  attended  such  services.     As  Brothers  Ewing  and  Watson 


IN  Egypt.  263 

had  just  returned  to  the  mission  field  from  America,  the  ques- 
tion of  their  assignment  to  work  came  up  for  consideration. 
The  pastorate  of  the  native  church  in  Cairo  now  being  vacant, 
on  account  of  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Barnett  to  other  work, 
the  question  as  to  which  of  these  two  should  be  appointed  to 
the  place  was  considered.  After  a  little  it  became  apparent 
that  there  was  a  difference  of  opinion  on  the  subject  on  the 
part  of  some  of  the  members,  and  others  expressed  their  in- 
ability to  vote  on  the  subject  at  all.  The  subject  was  consid- 
ered at  some  length  and  to  allow  the  members  freedom  in  the 
expression  of  their  opinions  the  two  persons  interested  retired. 
On  being  called  back  after  a  time,  it  was,  at  the  second  sitting 
after  the  introduction  of  the  question,  resolved  that,  inasmuch 
as  the  members  of  presbytery  did  not  see  their  way  clear  to 
vote  on  the  subject,  the  casting  of  the  lot  be  used  for  the  decis- 
ion of  the  question.  Presbytery  was  then  led  in  prayer  by 
the  acting  moderator,  Rev.  W.  Harvey,  and  the  lot  was  drawn, 
and  it  was  found  to  have  fallen  upon  Rev.  Ewing.  At  his  re- 
quest, presbytery  was  then  led  in  prayer  by  Rev.  B.  F.  Pinker- 
ton,  that  divine  grace  and  help  might  be  given  to  aid  the  brother 
chosen  in  this  solemn  manner  to  take  charge  of  the  Cairo  con- 
gregation. It  was  then  resolved  to  appoint  Rev.  A.  Watson  to 
the  Monsurah  station. 

The  division  of  laborers  then,  as  arranged  for  the  year,  was 
as  follows:  (i)  Alexandria,  Rev.  B.  F.  Pinkerton  and  Miss 
Gregory;  (2)  Monsurah,  Rev.  A.  Watson  ;  (3)  Cairo,  Rev. 
Dr.  Barnett  and  Dr.  Lansing,  Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing,  and  David 
Strang,  Esq.,  and  Miss  Hart;  (4)  Faiyum,  Rev.  William  Har- 
vey; (5)  Asyut,  Rev.  John  Hogg,  D.  D.;  (6)  Kus,  Rev.  E. 
Currie.  With  the  exception  of  Dr.  Lansing,  who  was  still  in 
Great  Britain  on  account  of  his  wife's  illness,  all  the  members 
of  presbytery  betook  themselves  to  their  work  and  their  fields 
as  soon  as  presbytery  adjourned,  all  anxious  to  do  something 
for  the  extension  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  and  the  salvation 
of  the  elect.  Everyone  had  his  or  her  work  to  do,  and  the  fields 
were  so  far  apart  as  to  give  ample  scope  for  individual  energy 
to  be  exerted  without  any  interference  with  one  another,  and 
the  fields  were  at  such  central  points  as  to  show  that  the  end 
in  view  was  the  taking  of  the  valley  of  the  Nile  for  Christ. 


264  The  American  Mission 

Monsurah,  the  new  center  to  which  the  writer  was  ap- 
pointed, had  been  visited  by  several  of  the  missionaries,  and 
had  been  occupied  by  one  of  the  deacons  of  the  Cairo  church 
for  more  than  a  year.  It  was  a  town  of  about  25,000  inhab- 
itants, situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the  eastern  branch  of  the 
Nile,  between  Cairo  and  Damietta.  It  is  tlie  center  of  a  cotton 
growing  country,  and  during  the  season  a  good  deal  of  business 
is  done  in  this  line.  At  the  time  indicated  there  were  six  or 
seven  large  steam  cotton-ginning  establishments  in  the  town. 
Besides  the  native  population,  there  was  quite  a  number  of 
Greeks,  Syrians,  Maltese,  and  two  or  three  families  of  English. 
But  these  Europeans  had  no  influence  for  good  upon  the  people. 
The  majority  of  them  regarded  the  native  Egyptians  as  legiti- 
mate persons  upon  whom  to  practice  their  cupidity,  and  in  their 
manner  of  doing  business,  and  loose  moral  habits,  were  a  bad 
example  every  way.  There  were  three  small  Christian  churches: 
the  Roman  Catholic,  the  Greek  Catholic  and  the  Coptic.  The 
rest,  being  more  than  nine-tenths  of  the  population,  were  Mu- 
hammadans,  most  bigoted,  ignorant  and  superstitious  ;  many  of 
all  sects  were  the  slaves  of  various  sins,  especially  drunkenness 
and  impurity.  Our  schools  had  been  opened  for  some  time, 
and  were  found  to  be  in  a  state  of  great  confusion  and  ineffi- 
ciency. With  a  few  exceptions,  1  found  the  so-called  Protest- 
ants not  unlike  those  who  formed  David's  band  in  the  wilderness. 
If  they  had  changed  their  beliefs,  certainly  they  had  not  changed 
their  practices.  After  removing  there  and  getting  settled  in  our 
house,  we  invited  those  who  were  accustomed  to  meet  at  the 
Sabbath  services  to  dine  with  us  one  evening,  in  order  to  make 
their  acquaintance  and  form  closer  friendships.  One  of  their 
number,  a  scribe  in  the  government  was  the  first  to  come.  In 
looking  over  my  Arabic  books,  he  found  among  them  an  algebra, 
and  as  he  had  never  seen  a  book  of  that  kind  before,  he  looked 
at  it  in  several  places  and  asked  me  various  questions  about  the 
contents.  While  we  were  looking  at  it  some  one  knocked  at 
the  door,  and  the  entrance  of  some  of  the  guests  took  up  my 
attention  for  a  few  moments,  but  on  returning  to  the  room  I 
missed  my  algebra,  and  commenced  to  search  for  it  but  could 
not  find  it.     1  then  remarked  to  the  scribe  that  we  were  just 


IN  Egypt.  265 

looking  at  it  when  I  got  up  to  open  the  door,  and  it  could  not 
have  left  the  room.  Upon  this  he  coolly  took  it  out  of  the  inside 
pocket  of  his  great-coat,  remarking  that  he  was  only  taking  it 
home  to  look  through  it.  I  afterwards  learned  that  he  had  a 
habit  of  appropriating  the  books  of  others  to  his  own  use,  and 
that  even  the  Bibles  and  Psalm  books  in  the  place  of  meeting 
had  become  fewer  on  account  of  his  pilfering  habits.  This  oc- 
currence, among  other  irregularities,  rather  lowered  my  regard 
for  the  so-called  Protestants  of  Monsurah.  There  were  some, 
however,  who,  though  far  from  our  ideal  of  Christianity,  bore 
a  good  character  among  their  neighbors.  Abdulla  Weesa  was 
chief  teacher  in  the  boys*  school.  I  was  accustomed  to  spend 
one  or  two  hours  in  it  every  day,  conducted  the  services  in  Arabic 
twice  every  Sabbath,  and  visited  the  people  in  their  homes. 
Mrs.  Watson  had  charge  of  the  girls'  school,  which  was  held  in 
one  of  the  rooms  in  our  house.  Blind  Werdy  was  her  assistant 
and  did  very  well  with  those  who  had  already  commenced  to 
read  and  had  not  advanced  too  far.  But  whenever  Mrs.  Wat- 
son was  absent  from  the  school-room  for  a  time,  she  would  be 
almost  sure  to  get  into  trouble  with  the  girls,  and  not  knowing 
for  certain  who  the  mischief-makers  were,  she  would  go  round 
the  row  of  girls  with  a  little  switch  and  beat  all  of  them,  so  that 
the  culprits  might  not  escape. 

There  was  little  to  encourage  us  except  the  promises  of 
God.  The  hearts  of  the  people  were  hard  as  adamant,  their 
consciences  seared  as  with  a  red-hot  iron,  and  their  minds 
darkened  with  ignorance,  and,  what  was  worse,  superstitious 
stories  of  the  lowest  kind.  Rev.  Makhiel,  pastor-elect  of  Kus, 
who  for  various  reasons  was  not  installed  there,  spent  half  a 
year  in  Zakazik,  and  then  was  removed  to  Monsurah  on  Decem- 
ber I,  just  a  little  before  the  writer  left  for  Asyut  to  assist  in 
giving  lessons  to  the  theological  students,  according  to  appoint- 
ment at  summer  meeting  of  presbytery. 

Passing  on  to  Cairo,  where  we  have  seen  Rev.  Dr.  Barnett 
and  Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing  labor  nearly  all  the  year,  and  Mr.  Strang 
and  Miss  Hart  the  first  half,  there  is  little  of  special  interest  to 
record.  In  a  quiet  and  regular  manner  the  work  on  all  its  lines 
was  carried  on,  with  spasmodic  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  Coptic 


266  The  American  Mission 

clergy  to  prevent  the  children  from  attending  the  mission  schools. 
Mr.  Ibrahim  Yusif,  one  of  the  theological  students,  rendered 
aid  in  the  work  during  the  vacation  in  the  theological  seminary. 
Only  one  person  was  added  on  profession  of  faith.  The  schools 
remained  as  in  former  years,  except  that  on  account  of  the 
opening  of  a  girls'  school  by  the  Copts  in  Haret-es-Sakkain, 
and  the  employment  of  two  of  our  teachers  in  it,  many  of  the 
girls  left  ours  for  a  time.  This,  with  the  tragic  death  of  Miss 
Hart  and  servants,  with  the  attendant  circumstances,  almost 
broke  it  up  entirely. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  tlie  28th  of  June,  Miss  Hart,  who 
was  then  living  in  the  school  in  Haret-es-Sakkain,  met  as  usual 
with  some  of  her  teachers  for  prayers  and  mutual  encourage- 
ment. They  continued  together  till  about  the  time  for  school 
to  be  opened.  She  then  called  the  school  servant  to  assist  her 
in  pouring  kerosene  from  the  large  tin  into  a  small  can,  and 
the  kitchen  girl  was  standing  near  them.  After  filling  the  small 
can  she  was  proceeding,  according  to  what  seemed  a  custom 
with  her,  to  seal  the  large  tin  with  wax.  The  burning  wax 
ignited  the  oil  in  the  tin,  which  then  exploded  with  great  force, 
throwing  the  burning  oil  all  over  her  and  the  two  servants  and 
setting  fire  to  the  house.  The  teachers,  hearing  the  explosion, 
ran  downstairs  and  found  Miss  Hart  lying  at  the  door  of  the 
stairway,  and  the  flames  enveloping  her  body  and  rising  to  such 
a  height  that  they  could  not  approach  her.  Yusif,  the  servant, 
had  run  down  the  stairs  in  flames,  and  the  girl  had  run  across 
a  large  room  and  fallen  on  the  mat,  with  the  flames  rising  from 
her  body.  Miss  Hart  must  have  died  in  a  few  minutes.  The 
girl  died  about  noon,  and  Yusif,  the  servant,  about  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon.  This  tragic  occurrence  was  regarded  by  the 
ignorant  people  as  a  plain  proof  of  God's  displeasure  with  the 
work  of  the  American  mission,  and  the  priests  were  not  slow 
in  confirming  this  opinion.  It  was  not  surprising,  then,  that  it 
was  some  time  before  the  influence  of  it  upon  the  work  in  that 
quarter  was  overcome.  Indeed,  the  missionaries  themselves 
were  stunned  by  its  occurrence,  although  it  was  only  one  of  the 
severe  trials  through  which  the  mission  passed  during  the  year. 
There  was  no  doubt,  however,  of  Miss  Hart's  preparation  for 


IN   EGYPT.  267 

death,  for  she  was  an  earnest  Christian,  and  was  truly  seei<ing 
to  serve  Christ  with  all  her  heart,  and  was  greatly  enjoying 
His  fellowship  during  the  months  preceding.  Mrs.  Hogg,  who 
visited  her  a  week  before  the  event,  says  of  that  visit:  "1 
was  much  struck  with  the  great  change  which  had  come  over 
her.  She  seemed  to  care  to  speak  of  nothing  but  Jesus  and 
His  love,  and  the  delight  she  had  in  constant  communion  with 
her  Saviour.  How  sweet  to  be  called  away  from  the  mercy- 
seat  below  straight  to  the  sanctuary  above !  Yet,  how  un- 
fathomable are  the  ways  of  God  to  man,  even  to  those  who 
love  Him  most." 

Dr.  Barnett  entered  upon  the  new  work  to  which  he  was 
appointed  and  spent  some  time  endeavoring  to  arrange  the 
stock  of  books  on  hand  in  Cairo,  which,  from  the  frequent 
changes  in  the  management  of  that  department  was  in  great 
disorder.  The  colportage  carried  on  by  Mr.  Schlotthaur  on  the 
Nile  was  also  under  his  direction.  In  this  work  209  towns  and 
villages  were  visited,  and  1,956  books  distributed  at  about 
$500.  By  removal  and  death  the  roll  of  communicants  in 
Cairo  was  reduced  to  thirty-nine,  butthe  contributions  amounted 
to  $325,  which  is  evidence  of  their  interest  in  the  work.  The 
members,  as  has  always  been  the  case,  were  widely  scattered 
in  the  large  city  of  Cairo  and  suburbs,  and  therefore  it  was 
difficult  to  gather  them  together  during  the  week  for  religious 
meetings. 

Passing  on  to  Faiyum,  it  may  be  said  that  the  work  in  the 
Medinah  was  of  a  discouraging  character,  but  the  opening  in 
Sinoris  became  more  and  more  encouraging.  Two  persons  pro- 
fessed their  faith  in  the  Saviour  and  became  members  of  the 
church  ;  one,  Mr.  Fanoos  Shakshook,  of  Sinoris,  and  the  other, 
Miriam,  the  wife  of  Ibrahim  Moosa.  The  school  continued  to 
prosper,  and  the  night  meetings  gave  promise  of  good  things  to 
come. 

During  the  year  the  work  in  Minya  was  begun  ;  rather  the 
work  already  begun  was  recognized  by  the  appointment  of  ex- 
priest  Buktor  to  that  large  town  and  his  removal  there  in  the 
month  of  May. 

Passing  on  up  the  river  to  Asyut,  we  have  to  report  great 
activity,    earnest  work,    encouraging  ingathering,    injudicious 


268  The  American  Mission 

zeal  and  severe  trials.  In  Asyut  itself  three  services  were  held 
on  Sabbath — in  the  morning,  in  the  afternoon  and  in  the  eve- 
ning. Meetings  were  also  held  during  the  week,  sometimes 
twice,  and  during  the  session  of  the  theological  seminary  more 
than  that  number.  Small  reunions  were  held  in  various  places, 
sometimes  by  the  Copts  themselves  for  reading  the  Word.  On 
Sabbath  afternoon  some  of  the  members  of  the  congregation 
and  the  theological  students  went  out  two  by  two  to  the 
suburbs  and  neighboring  villages  to  read  and  converse  with  the 
people.  Reports  from  these  light-bearers  were  given  at  a  meet- 
ing held  on  Saturday  night.  Many  interesting  incidents  were 
related  and  much  good  resulted  from  these  efforts.  Nineteen 
members  were  admitted  on  profession  of  their  faith.  Of  these 
ten  were  from  Asyut,  five  from  Nakheilah,  two  from  Bedari, 
one  from  Mutiah,  and  one  from  Sahil  Salim.  Four  were  women. 
Some  of  the  most  active  persons  in  teaching  Protestant  doc- 
trines had  not  united  formally  with  the  church,  chiefly  from 
opposition  from  various  members  of  their  families.  One,  a 
Coptic  priest  of  note  in  Asyut,  was  cursed  in  the  church,  sep- 
arated from  his  wife,  driven  out  of  his  mother's  house,  and 
compelled  for  a  time  to  take  a  room  at  a  public  khan.  He  bore 
all  meekly  and  without  flinching.  He  would  have  joined  the 
Protestant  church  a  year  before,  but  he  hoped  to  bring  his  wife 
and  mother  along  with  him.  He  had,  however,  joined  the 
theological  class,  and  was  decided  to  throw  in  his  lot  with 
Christ's  people 

But,  while  prosperity  seemed  to  follow  the  preaching  of  the 
Word,  and  the  daily  life  of  the  Protestants  was  commended  by 
many,  even  by  Muslims,  so  that  they  were  accustomed  to  say 
that  the  difference  between  them  and  the  Copts  is,  the  former 
believe  the  Bible  and  obey  it,  while  the  latter  believe  it  and 
obey  it  not,  yet  the  good  name  of  the  Protestants  was  brought 
into  disgrace  by  an  injudicious  act  of  a  few,  which  brought 
upon  themselves  severe  consequences  and  upon  the  cause  they 
represented  just  reproach.     The  incident  is  as  follows  : 

After  the  evening  meeting  on  March  12,  a  few  members  of 
the  Protestant  church  and  a  number  of  enlightened  Copts  met 
in  the  house  of  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor,  and,  as  the  custom  was, 


IN  EGYPT.  269 

they  were  reading  the  Bible  and  came  upon  the  story  of  Gid- 
eon's throwing  down  the  altar  of  Baal  and  cutting  down  the 
grove  that  was  by  it.     Some  one  brought  up  the  subject  of  pic- 
tures, and  how  to  get  them  out  of  the  Coptic  church,  and  the 
conversation  ended  in  an  agreement  to  go  that  night  to  the 
church  and  destroy  them.     They  prayed  together  three  times 
before  going  to  the  seat  of  action.     They  thought  that  nothing 
but  good  would  result  from  this  act.     Mr.  Hanna  Buktor  tore 
off  the  pictures  as  the  others  brought  them  out,  and  they  made 
a  fire  and  consumed  the  shreds,  and  threw  the  frame  work  into 
a  little  room.     While  they  were  thus  engaged  three  acquaint- 
ances passed  by,  and  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor  called  to  them  to  en- 
gage in  prayer  for  a  blessing  on  the  work  they  were  at.     Mr. 
Wasif,  with  Mr.  Weesa,  were  spending  the  evening  at  the  gov- 
ernor's house,  and  chanced  to  be  returning  home  and  passed 
them  as  they  were  leaving  in  a  body,  some  of  them  carrying 
some  of  the  spoils  under  their  arms.     He  asked  them  if  they 
had  taken  leave  of  their  senses  altogether,  and  then  sent  them 
off,  one  by  one,  in  different  directions,  in  order,  if  possible,  to 
escape  suspicion.     Next  morning  the  news  spread  like  wild-fire 
throughout  the  town,  and  the  whole  Coptic  sect,  summoned 
under  the  threat  of  a  haram  by  the  bishop,  marched  down  to 
the  oifice  of  the  governor,  with  the  bishop,  priests,  and  chief 
men  of  the  laity  at  their  head,  and  laid  their  complaints  before 
the  governor.     The  latter  handed  the  case  over  to  the  chief  of 
police,  who  sent  the  sheikhs  of  the  carpenters,  smiths,  etc.,  to 
report.     They  found  that  the  church  could  be  entered,  without 
being  broken  open,  from  the  neighboring  houses.     One  of  these 
and  the  farthest  distant,  was  the  house  of  Athanasius,  the  car- 
penter.    He,  though   innocent,   and  his  two   brothers,   were 
seized  forthwith.     All  who  had  a  share  in  the  act  became  com- 
pletely stunned  at  the  turn  the  incident  had  taken.     Dr.  Hogg 
urged  them  all  to  confess.     At  first  they  were  loath  to  do  so, 
but  finally  made  a  complete  breast  of  it,  and  told  all  and  were 
all  thrown  into  prison,  even  Hanna,  Mr.  Weesa's  brother.  Mr. 
Weesa  did  his  utmost  to  conciliate  the  enraged  Copts.     The 
chief  Muslims,  who  at  heart  approved  of  the  breaking  of  the 
pictures,  also  used  every  effort  to  effect  a  conciliation,  but  the 


270  The  American  Mission 

Copts,  naturally,  were  furious  as  well  as  jubilant.  What  they 
had  been  praying  for,  and  thinking  it  almost  an  impossibility  to 
secure,  they  now  saw  at  their  very  feet,  viz.,  an  opportunity 
of  wreaking  their  vengeance  on  a  man  who  for  months  had  kept 
them  in  hot  water,  and  were  they  to  be  coaxed  by  a  compro- 
mise.? Assuredly,  no !  Meanwhile,  the  prison  became  the 
gathering-place  of  the  brethren,  where  they  read,  sang  Psalms, 
and  prayed— prayed  as  they  perhaps  had  never  done  before. 
The  governor  kept  them  in  jail,  but  delayed  passing  sentence  on 
them,  as  he  understood  that  parties  had  left  for  Cairo  to  pre- 
sent the  case  to  the  Patriarch  that  he  might  lay  it  before  the 
viceroy  and  have  the  iconoclasts  severely  punished. 

Some  time  after  the  deed  was  committed  the  governor  re- 
ceived a  telegram  from  Cairo  inquiring  about  the  case.  It  was 
said  that  he  gave  a  simple  account  of  the  affair — tiiat  the  Prot- 
estants had  gone  into  the  Coptic  church  and  destroyed  some  of 
the  pictures,  and  that  the  reason  for  their  doing  so  was  that  the 
Word  of  God  forbade  their  use,  and  that  the  persons  who  had 
done  so  were  not  persons  of  bad  character,  but  respected  in  the 
town.  Next  day,  or  soon  after,  a  telegram  was  received  from 
the  viceroy  ordering  the  release  of  the  persons.  On  receiving 
this  the  governor  called  the  leading  men  of  the  Coptic  sect  and 
informed  them  that  the  prisoners  were  to  be  forthwith  released 
by  order  of  the  viceroy,  and  urged  them  to  make  up  matters 
with  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor,  as  he  had  himself  suggested  and 
strongly  urged  from  the  first.  They  agreed  to  do  so,  seeing- 
they  could  do  no  better.  He  then  sent  for  Mr.  Weesa  and  also 
for  the  prisoners,  and  addressed  all  parties,  urging  upon  them 
the  necessity  of  respecting  each  other's  opinions,  and  let 
bygones  be  bygones.  Hanna  Buktor  then  asked  pardon  of  the 
Copts  for  what  he  had  done,  and  they  reluctantly  and  coldly 
gave  the  hand  of  reconciliation.  The  news  of  their  release 
spread  rapidly  in  the  town,  and  several  hundred  Muslims, 
Copts,  and  Protestants  met  in  Mr.  Weesa's  court  to  welcome 
'his  brother  Hanna  back,  and  Dr.  Hogg,  of  course,  was  there. 
He  says  in  a  letter  written  at  the  time  : 

"  We  sent  for  the  singing  books,  and  1  preached  a  sermon 
suited  to  the  occasion,  stating  in  the  course   of  it  that  if  six 


IN  Egypt.  271 

months  in  the  galleys  or  up  the  White  Nile  were  to  be  the 
means  of  awakening  an  interest  in  religion  among  the  people 
of  Asyut,  I  for  one  would  be  willing  to  bear  the  imprisonment, 
and  I  urged  on  all  the  importance  of  breaking  the  idols  that 
were  set  up  in  their  own  hearts,  and  to  seek  henceforth  to  win 
their  brethren  by  words  and  deeds  of  love.  We  do  not  yet 
understand  how  the  release  was  brought  about.  The  Copts 
attribute  it  to  the  influence  of  the  consuls  in  Cairo,  and  believe 
that  Messrs.  Wasif  and  Weesa  and  I  wrote  as  many  as  twenty- 
four  letters,  while  the  fact  is  that  none  of  us  had  the  heart  to 
write  to  anybody,  and  we  all  felt  from  the  first  that  this  was 
not  a  matter  for  human,  and  particularly  for  consular,  interfer- 
ence. All  that  was  known  at  the  time  was  that  the  Copts  had 
written  to  their  Patriarch,  and  the  Patriarch  had  seen  the  vice- 
roy on  the  subject,  and  communications  had  been  sent  between 
the  viceroy  and  the  governor.  The  Protestants  regarded  the 
release  of  the  offenders  as  almost  miraculous — certainly  not  in 
accordance  with  their  deserts.  The  Copts,  however,  did  not 
allow  the  matter  to  rest.  The  bishop  of  Asyut  and  the  priests 
are  reported  to  have  told  the  Patriarch  that  with  such  an  issue 
of  the  case  they  would  no  longer  remain  in  Asyut.  In  the 
meantime,  however,  many  faltering  ones  felt  that  the  Lord  was 
with  the  Protestants,  and  became  stronger.  Many  who  had 
taken  no  interest  in  Divine  truth  became  apparently  anxious 
inquirers.  The  open  doors  widened,  and  doors  which  before 
were  locked  and  barred  were  opened.  Many  copies  of  the 
Scriptures  were  sold  to  Muslims,  when  they  learned  through 
the  action  of  the  Protestants  that  they  condemned  picture  wor- 
ship, as  they  had  always  thought  before  that  Christians  were 
idolators.  But  the  efforts  of  the  leading  Copts,  through  their 
Patriarch  and  other  dignitaries  interested  in  the  case,  were  suc- 
cessful in  having  it  reviewed  by  the  court,  and  the  court 
decided  that  Mr.  Hanna  Buktor  be  imprisoned  for  three  years  ; 
the  three  who  entered  the  church  and  did  the  work  for  two 
years  ;  and  the  remaining  four,  for  one  year — all  in  the  peniten 
tiary  ;  that  the  value  of  the  property  said  to  be  stolen  should 
be  paid,  and  that  the  pictures  either  be  replaced  or  their  value, 
appraised  by  non  interested  parties,  paid.     A  slight  change  was 


272  The  American  Mission 

afterwards  made  by  substituting  Esna  for  the  penitentiary. 
They  spent  about  five  months  in  prison,  the  last  month  of 
which  in  the  penitentiary  at  Esna.  They  were  compelled  to 
pay  ;^35o  for  the  property  they  were  unjustly  charged  with 
stealing,  and  $1,350  the  value  put  upon  the  pictures,  which 
were  not  worth  one-tenth  of  that  amount.  They  were  denied 
the  privilege  of  replacing  the  pictures,  which  the  sentence  of 
the  court  gave  them.  They  were  finally  pardoned  by  the  vice- 
roy on  his  return  from  his  European  trip  in  the  autumn,  at  the 
intercession  of  the  Spanish  and  American  consuls-general. 
The  lessons  the  prisoners  had  learned  did  not  in  any  sense  les- 
sen their  hold  on  Divine  truth,  or  cool  their  ardor  in  teaching  it 
to  others.  Before  the  year  closed  Mr.  Weesa  and  his  brother 
commenced  the  erection  of  a  place  of  worship  for  Protestants, 
which  was  finished  the  following  year.  They  also,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Mr.  Wasif  Khayat,  took  up  a  matter  of  the  greatest 
importance  and  carried  it  through  to  a  successful  issue.  For 
over  a  thousand  years  the  great  market  day  of  Asyut  had  been 
on  Sabbath.  Only  on  this  day  could  traders  in  cattle,  sheep, 
camels,  grains  and  farm  produce,  and  manufactured  articles  of 
all  kinds,  find  opportunity  to  buy  and  sell.  Thousands  of  peo- 
ple from  the  villages  around  visited  Asyut  on  that  day  for  trade, 
and  the  people  of  Asyut  bought  their  provisions  for  a  week  on 
that  day.  No  man  whose  business  v^'as  large  or  small  could 
make  a  living  without  exposing  for  sale  the  articles  of  his  trade 
on  the  Sabbath.  With  the  progress  of  Protestantism,  it  became 
a  necessity  that  the  market  day  be  changed,  but  it  seemed  at 
first  sight  next  to  impossible.  The  Muslims  had  no  interest  in 
changing  it.  Many  of  the  Copts  preferred  to  let  it  remain  as 
it  had  been.  A  petition  was  prepared,  and  Messrs.  Wasif  and 
Weesa  got  it  signed  by  many  leading  Muslims,, and  also  by 
many  Copts  who  were  shamed  into  signing  it,  because  if  they 
did  not  they  might  be  said  to  deny  the  Christian  religion.  The 
officials  were  visited  and  their  good  will  secured.  The  gover- 
nor, however,  whose  favor  to  the  change  was  assured,  was 
removed  just  as  the  petition  was  being  circulated,  but  the 
brethren,  believing  the  thing  to  be  of  God,  resolved  to  go  for- 
ward.    On  its  being  presented  to  the  new  governor,  he  gave 


IN  EGYPT.  273 

his  consent,  and  public  criers  were  sent  tJTrough  all  the  other 
markets  of  the  district  to  notify  the  change  of  the  Asyut  mar- 
ket from  Sabbath  to  Saturday.  Perhaps  on  the  first  Saturday 
more  came  because  of  the  novelty  of  the  thing,  at  any  rate 
everybody  seemed  to  have  been  pleased  with  his  business  that 
day,  and  the  change  of  an  institution,  which  was  by  many  con- 
sidered sacred,  was  established.  The  idea  of  the  common 
people  for  a  time  was  not  that  the  market,  but  that  the  day, 
had  been  changed,  and  some  of  them  were  heard  exclaiming, 
"  What  will  these  Protestants  do  next.!*  They  have  actually 
changed  Saturday  into  Sunday  !" 

While  these  things  were  going  on  in  Asyut,  the  good  work 
was  extending  in  the  villages  around.  During  the  session  of 
the  theological  seminary,  visits  were  made  on  Sabbaths  as  fol- 
lows :  Two  to  Waladiyah,  ten  to  Dronka,  two  to  Shutb,  two  to 
Rifa,  one  to  Mushy,  fourteen  to  Mutiah,  four  to  Bagore,  fifteen 
to  Nakheilah,  one  to  Azziyah,  one  to  Busrah,  one  to  Wasta,  eight 
to  Beni-Aleig,  five  to  Abnub,  one  to  Hammara,  eight  to  Sahil 
Salim,  one  to  Nawamen  and  one  to  Kom  Saadah.  From  May  to 
October,  Badari,  Nakheilah,  Bagore,  Mutiah  and  Beni-Aleig 
were  occupied  by  junior  members  of  the  theological  class.  In 
Nakheilah  and  Mutiah,  the  work  was  specially  promising. 

A  word  about  Kus  will  end  the  record  of  upper  Egypt  for 
1869.  Brother  Currie  remained  at  his  post  faithfully  laboring 
until  the  middle  of  July,  though  the  thermometer  sometimes 
marked  105°  in  his  room,  and  perhaps  never  less  than  100°  for 
two  months.  He  remained  too  long,  as  the  sequel  proved,  be- 
fore the  year  closed.  One  reason  for  his  staying  over  and 
above  his  time  was  his  love  for  the  little  flock  in  Kus,  and  his 
desire  to  comfort  their  hearts,  and  help  bear  the  burdens  of  the 
prisoners  from  Asyut  who  were  in  Esna,  a  neighboring  town. 
After  Mr.  Currie  left,  Iskaros  Masood  remained  until  the  theo- 
logical seminary  opened,  and  from  that  time  the  people  there 
were  left  to  themselves  and  the  Great  Shepherd. 

During  1869  Alexandria  was  subjected  to  some  startling 
and  very  trying  changes,  and  "the  little  church  there  had  for  a 
time  the  appearance  of  a  ship  struggling  under  bare  poles,  with 
adverse  gales  coming  upon  her  successively  from  every  point 


274  The  aa\erican  Mission 

of  the  compass."  On  the  writer's  return  from  America,  about 
the  middle  of  September,  1868,  and  during  his  stay  of  a  few 
days  with  Mr.  Pinkerton,  he  noticed  evidences  of  his  adoption 
of  strange  views  and  practices,  some  of  which  almost  led  to  the 
belief  that  his  mind  had  lost  its  balance.  He  had  been  reading 
an  account  of  the  exercise  of  the  healing  power  by  the  laying 
on  of  the  hands  and  prayer  in  some  places  in  Germany,  and 
had  moreover  come  in  contact  with  some  Quaker  brethren  who 
were  visiting  various  places  in  the  East,  and  had  from  them 
imbibed  some  deep  mystical  notions.  In  order  to  get  into  com- 
munion with  Christ  he  thought  it  was  only  necessary  to  retire 
into  a  solitary  place,  shut  the  eyes,  meditate,  and  wait  for  the 
"power"  to  come  from  on  high  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  pro- 
fessed also  to  have  the  power  of  healing  by  the  laying  on  of  his 
hands  and  prayer,  and  avowed  that  he  had  abundant  proof  of 
his  possession  of  this  power.  Miss  S.  Gregory,  who  had  some 
serious  internal  disorder,  was  then  under  his  treatment.  He 
averred  that  he  had  been  assured  that  he  was  to  cure  her  of 
her  malady,  howsoever  serious  it  might  be,  and  he  described  to 
me  how  he  was  affected  when  upon  her  having  a  violent  attack 
of  pain  he  put  his  hands  upon  her  head.  He  said  he  could  feel 
the  disease  entering  into  himself  through  his  fingers,  passing 
up  his  arms,  and  filling  his  own  body.  In  order  to  throw  it 
off  he  was  accustomed  to  take  a  cold  bath  in  the  wash-room  on 
the  roof !  As  my  eyes  had  not  yet  become  very  strong,  he 
proposed  to  try  his  healing  powers  on  me,  but  I  did  not  care  to 
encourage  him  in  his  vagaries.  He  had  also  at  the  time  of  our 
arri\al  in  Alexandria  been  holding  a  prayer-meeting  every  morn- 
ing with  a  few  of  the  brethren,  for  the  space  of  a  month,  for  a 
Pentecostal  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  but  I  knew  nothing  about 
it  until  one  morning,  after  taking  a  sip  of  plain  coffee,  without 
eating  anything,  he  suddenly  left  the  table,  and  soon  after  I 
heard  singing  downstairs;  and  on  asking  his  wife  what  it  was, 
she  told  me  of  the  prayer-meeting.  I  remarked  that  it  was 
strange  he  did  not  inform  me,  as  1,  too,  would  attend  most 
cheerfully  at  any  hour  of  the  day.  I  left  the  breakfast  table 
and  went  down  and  found  a  few  persons  assembled.  They 
continued  praying  and  singing  for  some  time,  but  there  was  no 


IN  Egypt.  275 

reading  from  the  Scriptures  or  remarks  for  edification.  The 
prayers  were  earnest,  and  tlie  central  idea  in  them  all  was  the 
outpouring  of  the  Spirit  in  an  outward,  visible  form,  according 
to  their  expectation.  Many  of  Mr.  Pinkerton's  motions,  ex- 
clamations, remarks,  sighs,  and  groans  at  family  prayers,  were 
not  only  new  but  often  startling,  and  certainly  led  both  Mrs. 
Watson  and  myself  to  conclude  he  was  losing  his  mind.  As  we 
knew  nothing  before  we  came  of  his  change  of  views  and  his, 
to  say  the  least,  eccentricities,  and  as  he  and  I  had  been  partic- 
ular friends  before  I  left  for  America,  I  was  not  in  the  least 
prejudiced  against  him,  and  learned  of  his  strange  actions  and 
his  new  views  from  intercourse  with  him  in  his  own  house. 

This  state  of  things  continued  during  the  first  half  of  the 
year  1869,  and  up  to  the  time  of  the  summer  meeting  of  pres- 
bytery, and  was  the  subject  of  conversation  among  all  who  knew 
him,  and  especially  among  the  missionaries.  Some  friction  had 
arisen  between  him  and  Miss  Gregory,  so  that  she  had  to  leave 
Alexandria  about  May  and  go  elsewhere.  Miss  Hart  had  be- 
come a  convert  to  many  of  his  views,  and  occasionally  ran 
down  from  Cairo  to  Alexandria  to  consult  with  him.  The  mis- 
sionaries were  in  great  anxiety  about  what  v/as  to  be  done 
with  him,  if  anything,  at  the  summer  meeting  of  presbytery. 
The  tragic  death  of  Miss  Hart,  already  related,  seemed  greatly 
to  affect  him,  and  some  hoped  it  might  wake  him  out  of  his 
wild  reverie.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lansing  had  returned  from  Great 
Britain,  and  took  up  their  quarters  for  a  time  in  Ramleh,  and 
therefore  had  every  opportunity  of  knowing  what  was  trans- 
piring in  Alexandria,  and  indeed  saw  and  heard  much  them- 
selves. They  felt  that  something  must  be  done.  Dr.  Lansing 
tried  to  set  right  some  of  those  who  had  been  led  astray,  but 
with  little  success,  and  with  the  result  that  Mr.  Pinkerton 
greatly  resented  what  he  termed  his  interference  with  his  work. 
Dr.  Lansing,  however,  was  not  a  man  to  neglect  his  duty  for 
personal  reasons,  but  of  course  he  had  no  right  to  remove  Mr. 
Pinkerton  from  his  place  and  pulpit.  Thus  matters  remained 
up  till  the  time  the  presbytery  met  in  Ramleh.  All  felt  some- 
thing must  be  done,  but  just  how  or  when  no  one  had  deter- 
mined. 


276  The  American  Mission 

At  length  at  one  of  the  sittings,  and  much  to  the  relief  of 
the  members  of  the  mission,  Mr.  Pinkerton  asked  leave  to  read 
the  following  paper: 

"  It  has  pleased  God,  whose  1  am,  and  whom  I  serve  in  the 
Gospel  of  His  dear  Son,  to  assure  me  that  He  has  accepted  the 
services  that  1  have  been  enabled  to  render  Him  in  this  land, 
and  also  to  show  me  clearly  that  He  does  not  require  me  to 
serve  Him  any  longer  in  this  field.  I,  therefore,  respectfully 
resign  to  this  presbytery  the  station  of  Alexandria,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  proceeding  home  at  once  to  resign  my  connection  with 
the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  I  also  ask  a  certificate  of  min- 
isterial standing  and  character. 

"  B.  F.  PINKERTON. 

"August  4,  1869." 

Several  members  of  the  mission  had  an  interview  with  Mr. 
Pinkerton,  and  tried  to  learn  his  reasons  for  the  step  he  had 
taken,  but  he  declared  that,  while  his  relations  to  his  brethren 
and  other  external  conditions  had  their  influence,  yet  these  did 
not  move  him  to  hand  in  his  resignation,  but  it  was  the  unmis- 
takable guidance  and  direction  of  the  Lord.  An  attempt  was 
also  made  to  have  him  take  time  to  reconsider  the  matter,  and 
also  the  questions  of  difference  of  belief  between  him  and  the 
church;  but  his  mind  was  fully  made  up.  After  much  deliber- 
ation and  prayer,  the  following  resolutions  were  unanimously 
adopted : 

"  Whereas,  Presbytery  has  heard  Brother  Pinkerton's 
reasons,  as  above  stated,  for  the  request  which  he  has  pre- 
sented ;  and, 

"  Whereas,  All  efforts  to  induce  him  to  abandon  or  defer 
his  request  have  been  ineffectual,  therefore, 

"  Resolved  (i),  That  presbytery  does  not  concur  with 
Brother  Pinkerton  in  the  conviction  that  the  Master  does  not 
require  him  to  serve  anv  longer  in  this  field,  to  which  he  has 
been  called  in  the  providence  of  God  and  by  his  Church. 

"  Resolved  (2),  That,  as  he  still  presses  his  request,  and 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  a  man  cannot  be  retained  with  profit  in 
any  sphere  of  duty  against  his  own  convictions,  presbytery  ac- 
cepts his  resignation. 

"  Resolved  (3),  That  the  clerk  be  directed  to  give  him  a 
certificate  of  ministerial  standing  and  character. 

"  Resolved  (4),  That  the  members  of  presbytery  will  fol- 
low with  their  prayers  and  best  wishes  the  brother  who  is  thus 


IN  EGYPT.  277 

leaving  them,  and  that,  while  feelino;  that  his  action  in  this  mat- 
ter must  prove  a  stumbling-block  and  offense  to  many,  they 
pray  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  that  this  may  not  be  laid  to 
his  charge." 

At  this  same  meeting  the  press  was  removed  to  Alexandria 
and  Mr.  D.  Strang  directed  to  set  it  up  in  the  mission  house 
there,  and  take  up  his  residence  in  the  house  vacated  by  Mr. 
Pinkerton,  and  have  charge  of  the  schools.  Mr.  Currie  was 
appointed  to  take  care  of  the  congregation  and  the  evangelistic 
work  in  Alexandria,  but  as  Brother  Currie  had  to  take  a  change 
to  Syria  on  account  of  his  health,  Dr.  Lansing  was  directed  to 
take  his  place  till  his  return.  Some  of  the  members  of  the  con- 
gregation who  had  thoroughly  imbibed  Mr.  Pinkerton's  views, 
and  with  whom  he  had  entered  into  solemn  covenant,  left  the 
church  and  opened  a  service  conducted  on  Plymouth  Brethren 
lines.  This  continues  still,  supported  as  it  has  been  to  some 
extent  by  some  Englishmen  of  that  sect.  This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Plymouth  Brethren  controversy  which  has  caused 
division  and  disorder  in  several  villages  in  the  region  of  Asyut 
and  other  places. 

Mr.  Currie  returned  from  Syria,  October  4,  and  was  seized 
with  Syrian  fever  on  the  9th,  and  died  a  triumphant  death  on 
the  i8th  of  the  same  month,  and  was  laid  beside  his  wife  in  the 
English  cemetery  of  Alexandria.  Dr.  Lansing,  in  his  report  for 
1869,  says  of  him  :  "He  was  a  good  man,  full  of  faith  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  meek  and  lowly  in  spirit,  earnest  in  labor,  and 
firm  and  unflinching  in  principle.  In  his  departure  we  feel  as 
a  mission  band  that  we  have  lost  a  brother  and  a  true  yoke- 
fellow, and  that  the  church  in  Kus  have  lost  an  affectionate 
father."  The  feelings  of  that  church  are  best  expressed  by  an 
extract  translated  from  a  letter  received  from  two  of  its  mem- 
bers soon  after  they  heard  the  sad  news  of  his  decease  :  "  Oh! 
how  sad  to  us  all  is  the  news  which  your  letter  has  brought. 
It  becomes  each  of  us  to  say  with  Jeremiah,  the  prophet,  '  Oh, 
that  my  head  were  waters  and  mine  eyes  a  fountain  of  tears 
that  I  might  weep '  over  this  sad  news,  not  on  account  of  the 
death  of  that  righteous  one,  for  his  death  is  precious  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Lord,  but  for  our  loss  ;  for  he  was  in  a  peculiar  degree  a 
teacher  in  the  faith  and  truth,  an  example  in  good  works,  and 


278  The  American  Mission 

our  comfort  in  sorrow.  Nay,  more,  he  always  sincerely  cared 
for  us  in  all  our  affairs  like  a  tender  father  for  his  loved  children, 
and  diligently  labored  for  the  edification  of  us  all.  Oh  !  how 
heavy  are  these  tidings,  and  how  bitter  to  our  hearts  the  remem- 
brance of  them  !  But  since  it  has  been  the  Divine  will  to  re- 
move him  from  this  fleeting  world  to  that  which  is  abiding,  and 
we  can  never  again  see  him  here,  we  beseech  you  to  pray  God  to 
grant  us  patience  and  comfort,  and  not  leave  us  orphans,  but 
manifest  Himself  to  us,  and  fill  our  hearts  with  joy,  lest  we  be 
swallowed  up  of  the  great  grief." 

Among  a  superstitious  people  these  sad  events,  regarded 
by  the  outside  world  as  calamities,  exerted  an  injurious  effect 
upon  the  work  in  Alexandria  for  the  time,  but  the  presence  of 
Dr.  Lansing  at  that  juncture,  and  the  timely  arrival  of  Miss 
McKown  from  her  visit  home,  and  her  assistance  in  the  work, 
both  in  school  and  in  the  homes  of  the  people,  served  to  keep 
the  greater  number  of  professors  together,  and  bring  them 
through  the  troublous  times. 


IN  Egypt.  279 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

January  i,  1870,  to  January  i,  187=^ — Comparative  statistics — Missionaries, 
their  locations  and  movements— New  missionaries— Organization  of  Missionary 
Association — Necessity  for  abbreviation — Alexandria,  work,  accessions,  death  of 
Said — Monsurah,  work,  little  encouragement — Cairo,  work,  accessions,  defections 
—Sickness  in  Dr.  Barnett's  family  and  absence  in  Europe— Death  of  Elder  Salih 
and  others— Sale  of  old  premises  to  the  government,  characteristic  negotiations 
— Faiyum,  work,  little  encouragement  in  Medinah— Headquarters  transferred  to 
Sinoris,  encouragements  and  opposition— Asyut  church  erected,  dedication  ser- 
vices, organization  of  congregation— Nakheilah  congregation  organized,  and  pas- 
tor ordained  and  installed,  and  death  of  chief  member— Organization  of  Mutiah 
congregation,  members  working,  reasons  for  rapid  spread  of  Gospel— Kus,  visit 
of  Brother  Harvey  and  others,  brethren  prevented  bv  government  from  meeting 
—Coptic  and  governmental  opposition  and  evidence  "of  growth— Medical  depart- 
ment. 

COMPARATIVE   STATISTICS. 
Jan.  I,  iSyo,  Period  of  five  years.  Jan.  i,  i8y^. 

6  Ordained  missionaries,  7 

2  Otiier  male  missionaries,  2 

2  Unmarried  lady  missionaries,  6 

8  Married  lady  missionaries,  9 

1  Native  ordained  ministers,  2 
8  Other  presbyter ial  workers,  15 
4  Book  depots,  5 

2  Organized  churches,  6 
180            Church  members,  5q6 

4  Sabbath  schools,  14 

118  Sabbath  school  scholars,  733 

12  Week  day  schools,  24 

17  Teachers,  40 

633  Pupils — boys  350  and  girls  826,  1,176 

6,446  Volumes  sold  books,  10,176 

1^2,052  Income  from  sales,  $2,541 

J5566  Church  contributions,  $3,106 

;^596  Tuitions,  ^567 

438  Average  Sabbath  morning  attendance,        986 


28o  The  American  Mission 

From  the  beginning  up  to  the  close  of  1869,  I  have  given 
in  successive  years  a  sketch  of  the  operations  and  important 
events  in  the  history  of  the  mission.  To  continue  this  plan  to 
the  end  would  lengthen  this  history  far  beyond  what  is  proposed, 
and  would,  as  we  have  seen,  lead  to  the  useless  record  of  work 
that  goes  on  from  year  to  year  without  anything  of  special  in- 
terest occurring.  I  have  been  led,  therefore,  first,  to  group 
together,  hereafter,  five  years  in  each  chapter,  and  record  the 
important  events  in  the  congregational  and  evangelistic  depart- 
ment together  with  incidents  connected  in  various  ways  with 
the  field  or  with  the  work  ;  and  second,  I  have  concluded  to 
exclude  from  this  record  all  mention  of  the  book  department, 
the  Sabbath  schools,  the  harem  work  and  the  educational  de- 
partment, and  append  brief  sketches  of  these  at  the  close. 

The  names  and  stations  of  the  missionaries  during  the 
greater  part  of  these  five  years  were  as  follows  : 

Alexandria.  David  Strang,  Esq.,  and  wife,  throughout  all 
the  period  ;  Rev.  G.  Lansing,  D.  D.,  and  wife  during  first  half 
of  1870 ;  Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing  and  wife  from  the  middle  of  1872  on- 
ward ;  Miss  T.  M.  Campbell,  Miss  McKown  only  half  of  1870. 

Cairo.  Rev.  G.  Lansing,  D.  D.,  and  wife,  from  middle 
of  1870*  until  they  left  for  America  in  1873;  Rev.  J.  Barnett, 
_  D.  D.,  and  wife  until  they  left  for  Europe  in  1872  ;  Rev.  S.  C. 
Ewing  and  wife  until  they  left  for  Asyut  and  Kus  in  the  autumn 
of  1871  ;  Rev.  A.  Watson  and  wife  from  April,  18/3  ;  Miss  E. 
F.  Johnston  from  the  middle  of  1870  onward. 

Faiyum.  Rev.  W.  Harvey  and  wife  in  Sinoris  from  Jan- 
uary 24,  1870,  throughout  the  period. 

Asyut.  Rev.  John  Hogg,  D.  D.,  and  wife  ;  Dr.  D.  R. 
Johnston  and  wife  ;  Rev.  A  Watson  two  months  in  1871  : 
Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing  two  and  a  half  months  in  1872;  Miss  Mc- 
Kown from  middle  of  1870  ;  Miss  Johnston  first  half  of  1870. 

MonsuraJi.  Rev.  A.  Watson  and  wife  until  April,  1873, 
except  when  absent  in  Asyut. 

Nciv  viissionarics.  Miss  A.  Y.  Thompson  arrived  near  the 
close  of  1 87 1  and  was  assigned  to  Monsurah,  and  in  September, 
1873,  was  locatfd  in  the  Faiyum.  Miss  M.  A.  Smith  came  to 
the  field  in  1872,  went  to  Sinoris  for  a  time,  and  then  was  trans- 


IN  EGYPT.  281 

ferred  to  Cairo  and  labored  for  the  most  part  in  Haret-es-Sak- 
kain.  Rev.  A.  M.  Niciiol  and  wife  arrived  in  1874,  and  were 
assigned  temporarily  to  Asyut.  Rev.  A.  H.  Rule  and  wife 
arrived  in  1872,  and  were  assigned  to  the  Faiyum  ;  withdrew 
from  the  mission,  and  went  home  in  1873.  Miss  M.  G.  Lock- 
hart  arrived  late  in  1874,  and  was  assigned  to  Asyut. 

THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION. 

Up  to  the  end  of  the  year  1870  all  the  business  pertaining 
to  the  work  in  the  field  or  to  the  relation  of  the  missionaries  to 
the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  and  the  Church  at  home  was 
transacted  by  presbytery,  but  it  became  evident  that  with  the 
progress  of  the  work,  the  multiplication  of  native  agents,  the 
organization  of  the  churches,  and  the  establishment  of  native 
pastorates,  presbytery  must  be  restricted  to  its  own  ecclesias- 
tical business,  and  there  be  created  another  authoritative  body 
to  which  should  be  referred  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  rela- 
tions of  the  foreign  missionary  to  the  Church  at  home.  The 
Board,  therefore,  proposed  to  the  members  of  the  mission  in 
Egypt  that  they  form  an  organization  for  the  transaction  of  all 
business  that  was  not  strictly  of  a  presbyterial  character.  In 
accordance  with  this  request,  the  missionaries  drew  up  and  for- 
warded to  the  Board,  to  be  laid  before  the  General  Assembly,  a 
draft  of  a  constitution  for  this  purpose: 

Reasons  for  Missionary  Association. 

"  The  committee  of  the  presbytery  of  Egypt  appointed  to 
mature  a  plan  for  the  formation  of  an  association  for  the  trans- 
action of  the  financial  business  of  the  mission,  according  to  the 
recommendations  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  respectfully 
report  that,  in  their  judgment,  the  work  in  this  land  has  now 
arrived  at  a  stage  of  development  when  the  formation  of  such 
an  association  has  become  very  desirable,  in  order  to  avoid  com- 
plications both  at  home  and  in  the  mission  field,  and  to  enable 
presbytery  in  a  free  and  untrammelled  manner  to  devote  itself 
to  the  discharge  of  its  proper  ecclesiastical  and  religious  func- 
tions. As  the  subject  may  not  fully  be  understood  by  all, 
especially  in  its  relations  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  work  in  the 
foreign  field,  the  committee,  before  proceeding  to  suggest  a  plan 
for  the  proposed  association,  take  the  liberty  of  briefly  stating 
the  following  reasons  which  strongly  recommend  such  action  : 


282  The  American  Mission 

"(i)  There  are  now,  and  probably  always  will  be,  lay 
members  connected  with  the  mission  who,  not  being  members 
of  presbytery,  are  not  entitled  to  a  vote  in  its  decisions,  but 
who,  as  regularly  appointed  missionaries  from  the  Church  at 
home,  have  an  equal  right  with  their  clerical  brethren  to  a  voice 
in  the  management  of  all  matters  which  are  secular  and  mis- 
sionary, as  distinguished  from  ecclesiastical  and  presbyterial, 
whose  counsels  and  aid  are  particularly  valuable  in  all  such 
matters. 

"(2)  The  blessing  of  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  upon 
our  labors  has  brought  us  to  begin  ordaining  native  pastors  and 
elders.  These  have  full  right  to  the  official  exercise  of  their 
functions,  not  only  in  reference  to  the  churches  over  which  they 
have  been  ordained,  but  also  in  the  higher  courts  of  the  Lord's 
house,  and  we  recognize  their  full  official  equality  with  ourselves 
and  consequent  right  to  a  seat  with  us  in  all  church  courts. 

"  (3)  On  the  other  hand,  besides  the  relations  we  bear  to 
the  native  community  as  evangelists,  and  to  the  partially  organ- 
ized native  churches  as  temporary  pastors — relations  which 
make  it  our  duty  and  right  to  sit  in  all  church  courts  in  the  mis- 
sion field,  and  to  unite  with  native  presbyters  in  the  administra- 
tion and  management  of  all  purely  ecclesiastical  and  presbyterial 
matters — we  atthe  same  time  sustain  other  well-defined  relations 
to  our  Church  in  America,  as  its  representatives  and  the  responsi- 
ble almoners  of  its  funds — relations  from  which  arise  duties  and 
responsibilities  which  we  cannot  transfer  to  native  presbyters. 
The  foregoing  considerations  indicate  the  necessity  of  a  clear 
distinction  between  those  functions  which  belong  to  foreign 
missionaries  as  such,  v^'hether  lay  or  clerical,  and  those  which 
belong  to  presbyters  both  native  and  foreign,  and  to  effect  this 
distinction  and  secure  the  rights  and  facilitate  the  performance 
of  the  duties  of  all  concerned,  we  recommend  to  presbytery  the 
following  resolutions: 

"Resolved  (i),  That  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  be 
requested  to  ask  the  next  General  Assembly  to  authorize  its 
missionaries  in  this  land,  lay  and  clerical,  to  organize  themselves 
into  an  association  for  the  transaction  of  all  business  arising  out 
of  our  relations  to  the  Church  as  its  foreign  missionaries. 

"Resolved  (2),  That  the  following  constitution  for  the 
association  be  recommended  to  the  Assembly  for  its  approval : 

' '  Constitution  of  the  Egyptian  Association  of  the  Missionaries  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  Chnreh  of  North  America. 

"Article  i.  There  shall  be  an  association  of  all  the  mis- 
sionaries in  Egypt,  both  lay  and  clerical,  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian Church  of  North  America. 


IN    EGYPT.  283 

"  Article  2.  This  association  shall  be  known  by  the  name 
and  title  of  the  Egyptian  Association  of  the  Missionaries  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America. 

"Article  3.  This  association  shall  be  amenable  to  the 
General  Assembly  through  its  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  or  any 
other  agency  which  the  Assembly  shall  authorize  to  communi- 
cate with  the  association. 

"  Article  4.  The  association  shall  have  the  following  offi- 
cers :  A  president,  a  secretary  and  a  treasurer,  all  of  whom 
shall  be  elected  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  association,  by  a 
majority  of  the  votes  of  the  members  present  at  that  meeting. 

"  Article  5.  This  association  will  have  power  to  fill  vacan- 
cies in  these  ofifices  whenever  they  occur. 

"  Article  6.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  president  to  preside 
at  all  meetings  of  the  association  and  discharge  all  other  duties 
usually  incumbent  on  such  an  officer. 

"Article  7.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  secretary  to  keep  a 
record  of  the  transactions  of  the  Association,  and  to  conduct  all 
its  official  correspondence  except  such  as  belongs  to  the  treas- 
urer. 

"Article  8.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  treasurer  to  hold  in 
the  name  of,  and  in  trust  for  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
afore-mentioned  all  lands,  tenements,  permanent  funds,  libra- 
ries, printing  press,  and  apparatus,  and  all  property  whatsoever 
pertaining  to  the  mission,  and  he  shall  give  such  legal  security 
for  said  property  as  shall  be  demanded  by  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions.  It  shall  be  his  duty  also  to  receive,  hold,  and,  ac- 
cording to  the  direction  of  the  association,  dispose  of  all  moneys 
received  for  missionary  purposes  by  the  association  from  the 
Board,  or  from  any  other  source  whatsoever,  and  he  shall  ren- 
der a  full  annual  report  to  the  association. 

"Article  9.  In  conducting  its  business  the  association  shall 
be  governed  by  the  general  rules  of  similar  bodies,  and  shall 
have  power  to  enact  such  by-laws  as  any  peculiarities  in  its 
circumstances  may  demand. 

"Article  10.  The  association  shall  meet  annually  pursuant 
to  its  own  motion,  and  shall,  besides,  meet  as  often  as  the  cir- 
cumstances of  its  work  may  require,  and  special  meetings  may 
be  called  by  the  president  when  requested  by  two  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  association. 

"Article  11.  A  majority  of  the  members  of  the  association 
present  in  Egypt  shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  the  transaction 
of  business. 

"Article  12.  It  shall  be  the  duty  and  exclusive  right  of  the 
association  to  dispose  of  a!l  funds  committed  to  its  trust,  and  to 
transact  all  missionary  business  arising  out  of  the  relations  of 


284  The  A.merican  Mission 

its  members  to  the  home  Church,  and  it  shall  report  all  its  pro- 
ceedings to  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  for  its  consideration 
and  approval. 

"Article  13.  This  association  shall  be  organized  and  go 
into  operation  as  soon  as  practicable  after  the  necessary  author- 
ization and  approval  of  this  constitution  shall  have  been  re- 
ceived from  the  General  Assembly. 

"Article  14.  This  constitution  may  be  altered  or  amended 
by  a  majority  of  any  future  association,  with  the  concurrence 
of  the  General  Assembly. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Missionary  Association  was  held  in 
Cairo,  March  17,  1871,  and  the  first  meeting  of  the  presbytery 
at  which  native  members  took  part,  and  in  which  the  business 
was  transacted  in  the  Arabic  language,  was  held  in  Nakheilah 
on  October  31,  187 1,  on  the  occasion  of  the  ordination  and  in- 
stallation of  Tadros  Yusif  over  the  congregation  of  that  town. 
From  that  time  all  purely  mission  matters,  such  as  property 
owned  by  the  mission,  schools  established  and  carried  on  by  it, 
location  of  missionaries,  care  and  disbursement  of  funds,  other 
than  those  collected  from  churches  in  Egypt,  have  been  under 
the  control  of  the  association  ;  but  all  ecclesiastical  matters, 
such  as  the  admittance  of  students  of  theology,  their  licensure, 
ordination,  organization  of  churches,  appointment  of  native 
religious  workers,  and  the  use  of  money  collected  in  the  native 
churches,  belong  to  presbytery.  So  far  the  system  has  worked 
admirably. 

To  give  a  detailed  account  of  the  spread  of  evangelistic 
work  in  the  Nile  valley  during  this  period,  and  a  description  of 
the  means  and  agencies  employed,  would  take  up  a  whole 
volume. 

The  religious  services  at  Alexandria,  both  on  Sabbath  and 
during  the  week,  were  conducted  by  the  missionaries  located  at 
the  station,  assisted  during  1870-71  by  the  licentiate  Mr.  Ibra- 
him Yusif.  Special  meetings  were  held  for  a  time  at  Kermuz, 
a  suburb  of  Alexandria.  As  there  was  no  suitable  place  for  the 
Sabbath  services  in  the  mission  premises,  the  use  of  the  chapel 
belonging  to  the  Established  Church  of  Scotland  was  secured 
for  a  money  consideration,  and  this  arrangement  continues  up 
to  the  present  time.  The  only  serious  objection  to  it  is  the 
necessity  of  mectioL;  so  early  on  Sabbath  morning  that  some  of 
the  people  find  it  difficult  to  attend. 


IN  EGYPT.  285 

In  1874,  six  men  and  five  women  were  received  on  profes- 
sion of  their  faith.  "  One  of  these,"  Dr.  Ewing  tiien  wrote, 
"  is  a  soldier,  who  has  for  two  years  attended  the  services  on 
Sabbath  morning  with  a  good  deal  of  regularity.  At  our  recent 
meeting  of  presbytery,  the  elder  from  Nakheilah  asked  me  if  I 
had  ever  met  this  soldier  in  Alexandria.  I  replied,  *  He  is  one 
of  the  new  members  just  now  reported.  Do  you  know  him  ? ' 
The  elder  replied,  '  He  is  from  one  of  the  towns  near  our  place, 
and  some  years  since  a  number  of  us  were  accustomed  to  select 
one  of  our  acquaintances  who  was  not  a  member  of  the  evan- 
gelical church,  and  make  his  conversion  a  special  subject  of 
prayer.  This  is  the  one  I  had  selected.  I  had  not  heard  of 
him  for  a  long  time,  but  thanks  be  to  God  for  what  I  now 
know.'  " 

Of  those  who  died  at  Alexandria  was  Sa'id  Abdulla,  which 
translated  means  "  happy  servant  of  God."  He  was  one  of 
the  many  who  were  stolen  away  from  the  Sudan  in  their  boy- 
hood through  the  wicked  slave  traffic.  After  many  sad  exper- 
iences, he  ran  away  from  his  master  and  took  refuge  with  a 
French  consul,  who  refused  to  restore  him.  He  afterwards 
found  employment,  which  took  him  to  Liverpool,  where  he 
learned  some  English,  and,  what  was  better,  the  Christian 
religion.  He  came  afterwards  to  Alexandria  and  was  taught  to 
read  by  the  writer,  and  instructed  more  fully  in  the  way  of 
life,  and  made  a  clear  and  earnest  profession  of  his  faith  in 
Jesus,  his  Saviour,  and  united  with  the  church  in  April,  1866. 
He  remained  a  consistent  member  until  the  day  of  his  death, 
February  2,  1871.  His  death,  which  occurred  at  the  German 
hospital,  from  heart  disease,  came  at  last  suddenly,  but  during 
his  last  illness  and  a  previous  one  about  a  year  before,  he  ex- 
hibited rare  patience,  cheerfulness,  and  resignation.  Coming 
to  the  joys  of  the  Gospel  of  freedom  from  the  sorrows  of  slav- 
ery, he  was  a  witness  to  God's  goodness  overruling  man's 
avarice  and  cruelty.  His  case,  too,  was  a  proof  of  the  fact, 
denied  by  many  nominal  Ciiristians  in  Egypt,  that  God's  Word 
and  Spirit  can  convert  a  Muslim  into  a  meek  and  lowly  Chris- 
tian. He  lived  beloved  of  all  who  knew  him,  and  his  funeral 
was  attended  by  many  who  occupied  much  higher  positions  in 
society  than  himself. 


286  The  American  Mission 

In  Monsurah  the  means  of  grace  were  used  on  the  Sabbath 
and  during  the  week.  Meetings  for  prayer  and  the  reading  of 
the  Word,  visitation  of  people  at  their  homes  and  in  their 
shops,  Sabbath  day  services  and  Sabbath  school  lessons,  yet 
the  success  was  small.  The  people  in  that  town  and  vicinity 
were  steeped  in  corruption  and  wickedness.  Visits  were  made 
to  Mit  Assas,  Saminud  and  Mahalla.  The  Coptic  clergy  were 
alert  in  the  use  of  means  to  prevent  every  approach  to  their 
people. 

A  great  amount  of  work  was  carried  on  in  Cairo.  Ser- 
vices in  Arabic  were  held  regularly  twice  every  Lord's  day — 
in  English  once,  and  in  Armenian  or  Turkish.  During  the 
winter  of  1871-72,  fourteen  services  were  conducted  in  Cairo 
every  Lord's  day  by  our  mission  workers,  and  several  evening 
meetings  were  held  during  the  week  in  the  Ezbakiyah  quarter 
and  also  in  Haret-es-Sakkain  ;  while  the  Sabbath  schools  and 
meetings  for  women  were  well  attended.  Encouraging  acces- 
sions to  the  membership  of  the  church  were  made,  but  there 
were  several  sad  cases  of  backsliding.  The  temptations  in  this 
city  are  so  many  that  it  seems  everything  exists  to  pull  down 
and  nothing  to  build  up.  Dr.  Lansing,  and  the  pastor-elect,  Mr. 
Ibrahim  Yusif,  were  both  so  ill  at  one  time  that  there  was  little 
hope  of  either  being  restored.  So  deeply  was  their  critical 
condition  felt  by  the  church  that  a  day  of  fasting  was  kept  with 
earnest  prayers,  and  both  were  restored. 

In  1872,  Dr.  Barnett  and  family  were  compelled  to  seek  a 
change  in  Europe,  and  Dr.  Barnett  only  returned  in  1873  to 
pick  up  his  household  goods  and  go  home  to  America,  Mrs.  Bar- 
nett in  the  meantime  remaining  in  Europe  under  medical  treat- 
ment for  severe  ophthalmia,  which  for  a  time,  if  not  perma- 
nently, destroyed  the  sight  of  one  of  her  eyes.  The  same  year 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lansing  also  returned  to  America  on  a  visit,  and 
the  congregational  work  was  left  to  Mr.  Ibrahim  Yusif,  pastor- 
elect  and  the  writer.  On  learning  that  many  of  the  women  did 
not  understand  a  formal  discourse,  1  asked  them  to  remain  after 
the  sermon  on  Sabbath  morning,  and  went  over  the  subject 
with  them  in  a  simple  conversational  way,  which  proved  of 
much  profit  to  them  as  long  as  it  could  be  carried  out. 


IN  Egypt.  287 

It  was  with  deep  regret  to  all  that  the  pastor-elect  rejected, 
in  1874,  the  call  of  the  congregation,  though  he  had  formerly 
given  it  some  reason  to  believe  that  he  would  accept  it.  Per- 
haps the  uncertain  state  of  his  health  had  something  to  do  with 
it.  He  also  withdrew  for  a  time  from  mission  work  and  entered 
into  business,  but  remained  a  member  of  the  congregation. 
Another  man,  of  whom  we  all  had  high  hopes,  and  who  had 
taken  an  active  part  in  evangelistic  movements,  became 
affected  with  the  Plymouth  notions,  and  denied  the  obligations 
of  Christians  to  keep  the  Sabbath,  ceased  to  attend  the  meet- 
ings of  the  congregation,  and  entered  into  business  requiring 
him  to  work  on  the  first  day  of  the  week.  During  this  period 
the  Cairo  congregation  had  to  mourn  the  death  of  Mr.  Salih 
Awad,  one  of  the  first  converts  and  an  elder.  He  was  brought 
to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  through  Brother  McCague,  as  I 
have  already  mentioned,  and  he  remained  steadfast  to  the  last. 
He  was  liberal,  but  peculiar  in  his  contributions  to  the  work  of 
Christ,  regular  in  his  attendance  at  religious  meetings,  upright 
in  his  conduct,  faithful  in  the  performance  of  his  family  duties, 
and  we  have  good  reason  for  the  assurance  that  he  was  happy 
in  his  death.  Many  a  time  I  visited  him  in  his  sickness,  and 
very  sorry  I  was  that  I  was  in  Ramleh  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
and  only  reached  Cairo  to  offer  a  prayer  at  his  grave.  Pre- 
vious to  his  death  he  left  a  contribution  of  $750  for  the  mission, 
which  was  spent  to  aid  in  the  erection  of  the  premises  in  Cairo. 

Another  worthy  and  prominent  member  died  the  same 
year,  Khalil  Effendi.  For  several  months  he  watched  at  the 
bedside  of  one  of  his  sons  until  he  was  taken  away.  Soon 
after,  he  himself  was  taken  ill  and  followed  the  son  to  the 
spirit  world. 

It  was  in  this  period  that  the  old  property  given  to  the  mis- 
sion in  Cairo  was  finally  sold  to  the  viceroy.  This  property 
was  at  the  opening  (mouth)  of  the  great  street  of  Cairo,  called 
the  Moosky.  It  was  in  a  most  central  position,  and  was  given 
to  the  mission,  as  we  have  seen,  by  Sa'id  Pasha,  in  perpetuity 
for  school  purposes.  The  mission,  though  able  to  hold  it  against 
the  government  as  long  as  it  was  used  for  the  purpose  for  which 
it  was  given,  yet  had  no  clear  title-deed  for  it,  and  therefore 


288  The  American  Mission 

could  sell  it  only  to  the  government.  Ishmael  Pasha,  the  suc- 
cessor of  Sa'id  Pasha,  had  exalted  ideas  about  the  improvement 
of  Cairo,  and  had  new  and  wide  streets  opened  here  and  there 
through  the  thickly  populated  parts  of  the  city,  and  perfected 
plans  for  a  new  part  to  be  added  to  the  city  around  the  fine 
garden  of  the  Ezbakiyah,  which  he  had  laid  out  in  an  artistic 
manner,  with  trees,  flowers,  grotto,  restaurants,  fountains  and 
a  small  lake,  and  surrounded  all  by  a  large  iron  fence.  Our 
mission  house,  however,  interfered  somewhat  with  his  plans, 
on  account  of  its  commandingtheentrancetothe  Moosky,  where 
he  wished  to  erect  a  government  building,  but  he  had  a  wonder- 
ful capacity  for  executing  what  he  took  in  hand,  sometimes  by 
fair  means,  but  often  by  foul.  About  the  year  1870,  he  com- 
menced to  reconnoitre  in  order  to  discover  some  means  of  ap- 
proaching the  missionaries  and  securing  the  premises.  On  the 
plea  of  making  a  survey^  a  man,  at  the  instance  of  the  govern- 
ment, got  permission  to  enter  and  look  through  the  house,  and 
measure  the  court,  and  told  the  missionary  in  charge  that  the 
premises  were  worth  ;!^2,ooo.  Later  on,  an  offer  of  ;:^3,ooo 
was  made.  Later  still,  ;^4,ooo,  and  after  a  longtime,  ^^5,000. 
The  Missionary  Association,  informed  of  the  propositions,  and 
not  wishing  to  stand  in  the  way  of  any  improvements  which 
the  Khedive  might  wish  to  make  in  that  quarter ;  knowing,  too, 
that  in  many  ways  he  might  in  the  end  force  the  mission  to  re- 
move, since  it  had  no  legal  title-deeds,  it  appointed  a  committee, 
consisting  of  Drs.  Barnett  and  Lansing.  This  committee  was 
afterwards  discharged,  and  L.  Muller,  Esq.,  of  the  firm  of  Messrs. 
Tod,  Rathbone  &  Co.,  was  requested  to  act  as  the  mission's 
agent.  It  soon  became  apparent  that  Mr.  Muller  needed  the  co- 
operation of  the  mission  staff,  and  therefore  Dr.  Lansing  and 
Rev.  S.  C.  Evving  were  appointed  to  advise  with  him  and  em- 
powered to  close  the  negotiations  if  a  sufficient  offer  was  made 
by  the  government  of  his  highness. 

All  such  business  moves  very  slowly  in  the  East,  and  this 
dragged  on,  adding  much  to  the  cares  and  vexations  of  the  resi- 
dent missionaries,  and  although  the  assistance  of  H(tn.  R. 
Beardsley  was  heartily  given  whenever  it  seemed  proper,  still 
it  was  not  finished  up  to  the  time  of  the  annual  meeting  in  the 


IN  EGYPT.  289 

spring  of  1873.  At  this  meeting  the  writer,  who  was  then  re- 
moved from  Monsurah  to  Cairo,  was  added  to  the  committee. 
Active  negotiations  were  immediately  resumed  on  tiie  writer's 
removal  to  Cairo,  and  frequent  interviews  were  held  with  the 
authorities,  who  had  raised  their  offer  to  ^6,000,  or  $  30,000.  At 
this  juncture,  our  ambassador  at  Constantinople,  then  the  vice- 
president  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  visited  Egypt  and  took 
a  deep  interest  in  the  mission  and  the  negotiations.  The  com- 
mittee hinted  to  him  that  he  might,  in  an  interview  with  the 
Khedive,  prevail  upon  his  highness  to  give  an  additional  ;^i,ooo, 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  money  would  be  used  in  the  interests 
of  education.  This  he  succeeded  in  accomplishing.  It  remained, 
however,  to  secure  a  lot  on  which  to  build.  Lots  were  very 
high  just  then,  and  had  we  been  obliged  to  buy  a  lot,  it  would 
have  taken  at  least  ^2,000  of  the  ^7,000.  So  the  committee 
put  on  a  bold  face  and  secured  the  intervention  of  friends  to  lay 
before  the  Khedive  a  request  for  a  lot  on  which  to  erect  new 
premises.  He  was  informed  that  the  mission  did  not  wish  to 
carry  the  £7,000  to  America,  nor  to  spend  it  on  their  general 
work  in  Egypt,  but  they  wished  to  erect  premises  in  the  city  of 
Cairo  that  would  correspond  with  his  ideas  of  what  was  befit- 
ting the  great  capital  of  Egypt.  At  first  he  demurred  somewhat, 
but  finally  consented  to  give  us  the  lot  immediately  to  the  north 
of  the  one  on  which  the  mission  building  now  stands. 

Up  to  this  point  the  negotiations  were  only  verbal,  and  it 
was  then  proposed  to  make  a  written  contract  between  the  com- 
mittee, on  the  part  of  the  mission,  and  the  governor  of  Cairo, 
on  the  part  of  the  Egyptian  government,  hi  the  meantime, 
however,  the  government  gave  us  ^1,000  to  bind  the  bargain. 
The  committee  drew  up  the  form  of  the  contract,  in  which  it 
was  agreed  to  deliver  up  the  keys  of  the  old  premises  within 
forty  days  from  the  date  of  the  contract,  and  on  delivering  up 
the  keys  they  should  receive  the  sum  of  ;!^6,ooo  and  the  title- 
deed  for  the  lot.  We  left  the  contract  with  the  governor,  and 
returned  next  day  to  have  it  signed  if  he  agreed  to  it.  On  re- 
turning, we  found  that  one  or  two  changes  had  been  made,  one 
of  which  made  the  payment  of  the  ^6,000  at  the  time  of  giving 
up  the  keys  of  the  old  premises,  to  our  mind,  at  least  doubtful. 
19 


290  The  American  Mission 

As  we  understood  it,  it  might  mean  that  the  payment  might  be 
made  then  or  any  time  after,  and  so  we  would  not  agree  unless 
the  matter  was  made  clear  that  at  the  time  of  giving  up  the 
keys  the  money  should  then  and  there  be  paid.     The  governor 
also  pleaded  that  he  could  not  give  the  legal  deed  at  the  time  of 
his  receiving  the  keys  of  the  old  premises  on  account  of  a  point 
of  law.     As  he  might  have  been  right  on  this  point,  we  waived 
that  condition  and,  instead,  asked  the  governor  to  give  us  his 
promise  in  writing,  sealed  with  his  seal,  that  he  would  give  us 
the  title-deed  ten  days  after  getting  the  keys.     He  demurred, 
saying,  "  Cannot  you  take  my  word  of  honor  ?     I  am  governor 
of  the  city  of  Cairo,  and  cannot  you  believe  my  word  .?"     We 
said  we  were  a  committee  appointed  by  a  society,  and  were  re- 
sponsible to  that  society,  and  must  do  business  on  business 
principles.     The  interview  broke  up  without  the  contract  being 
sealed,  and  the  governor  went  down  to  Alexandria  to  consult 
with  his  superiors.     After  a  few  days  he  sent  for  us  and  agreed 
to  our  conditions.     We  received  also  an  order  to  take  possession 
of  the  lot  immediately,  but  on  reading  it,  we  found  it  gave  only 
possession  of  half  the  lot,  so  the  next  day  we  went  back  to  the 
governor  and  returned  this  order,  saying  our  agreement  was  for 
the  whole  lot,  and  we  could  not  take  half  of  it.     Then  we  went 
home  and  kept  quiet.     We  had  in  our  hands  ;^i,ooo  already 
paid,  and  still  had  possession  of  the  old  premises,  and  so  we 
were  perfectly  safe.     Hitherto  we  had  run  about  the  business; 
now  we  thought  the  other  side  should  make  the  first  move. 
We,  however,  let  our  consul-general  know  how  the  matter 
stood.     After  a  few  days  he  was  sent  for  and  asked  why  the 
missionaries  would  not  accept  the  lot.     He  replied  that  as  the 
contract  was  for  the  whole  lot,  they  would  not  very  likely  take 
a  half. 

When  the  government  saw  it  could  get  no  assistance  from 
the  consul-general,  a  message  was  sent  to  the  committee  to 
look  out  for  some  other  lot  belonging  to  the  government,  as  the 
half  of  the  one  promised  had  become  the  property  of  another 
individual.  So  we  looked  around  and  found  the  one  on  which 
our  premises  now  stand,  and  agreed  to  take  it,  although  it  was 
not  quite  as  good.      The  forty  days  given  us  to  find  houses  for 


IN  EGYPT.  291 

the  families,  for  the  schools,  and  book  department  were  none 
fbo  much.  With  great  difficulty  houses  were  rented  for  the  dif- 
ferent objects  of  the  mission.  On  the  fortieth  day  we  put  in  an 
appearance  at  the  "governorat."  Dr.  Barnett,  who  had  re- 
turned from  Europe,  accompanied  us.  To  him  was  given  the 
big  key  of  the  old  premises,  which  he  was  not  to  deliver  up 
unless  the  other  conditions  were  fulfilled.  The  governor  gave 
up  his  sealed  promise  to  hand  to  us  after  ten  days'  the  title- 
deed,  the  usual  charge  of  five  per  centum  for  expenses  being 
remitted.  Dr.  Barnett  handed  to  the  governor  the  key,  and 
the  treasurer  of  the  governor  brought  in  the  ^6,000  in  gold  and 
paid  them  over  to  our  bankers.  In  counting  them  over  two 
twenty  franc  pieces  were  found  instead  of  two  pounds  sterling, 
making  a  difference  against  us  of  two  dollars.  This  I  made 
good  to  the  mission.  So  thus  ended  the  negotiations  with  the 
government.  Had  the  matter  been  delayed  another  two  months 
we  would  likely  be  still  in  the  old  premises,  for  the  Egyptian 
government  got  into  financial  difficulties  almost  immediately 
after,  and  had  no  money  left  for  such  operations.  It  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  add  that  we  were  glad  to  receive  the  deed  at  the 
time  specified,  for  we  did  not  know  what  the  Turk  might  do  in 
the  matter. 

In  the  district  of  Faiyum  the  door  continued  to  open  wider 
and  wider  in  Sinoris,  while  the  prospects  were  not  cheering  in 
Medinah.  Brother  Harvey  considered  it  his  duty  to  remove  his 
headquarters  to  the  former  place,  which  he  did  on  January  24, 
1870,  and  soon  after  Mrs.  Harvey  opened  a  school  for  girls. 
Eleven  adults  were  received  to  membership  on  profession  of 
their  faith  during  the  first  year  of  their  residence  there,  and 
meetings  for  prayer  and  study  of  the  Word  were  held  every 
night,  besides  the  regular  services  on  Sabbath,  also  prayer- 
meetings  for  women,  and  a  Sabbath  school.  The  blessing  of 
God  accompanied  the  use  of  the  means  of  grace  and  encourag- 
ing numbers  professed  their  evangelical  faith  year  by  year. 
The  work  in  Medinah  was  continued  on  a  smaller  scale  on 
account  of  the  more  urgent  demands  from  other  places.  Rhoda 
was  visited,  and  as  a  door  was  opened  there,  a  worker  was 
sent  to  it  for  a  time,  and  his  labors  were  not  in  vain.     Visits 


292 


The  American  Mission 


were  also  made  to  Fiddemin  and  Tamiyah.  At  the  last  named 
place  two  persons  were  beaten  for  listening  to  Protestant  doc- 
trines. 

In  1 87 1,  Brother  Harvey  hearing  of  a  partially  enlightened 
Copt  residing  in  Suft,  visited  him  and  found  that  the  man  was 
far  in  advance  of  his  countrymen  in  intelligence.  A  school  was 
opened  there  and  continued  for  a  short  time,  then  an  evangelist 
was  sent,  and  before  long  the  nucleus  of  a  congregation  was 
formed  during  this  period.  Other  places  were  visited,  such  as 
Sanhur,  Agamien,  Nazely,  Minyet-el-Hist.  The  congregation 
of  Sinoris  was  organized  in  March.  1873,  by  tY2  election  of 
elders  and  deacons  during  the  session  of  presbytery  there. 

Much  opposition  was  stirred  up  in  Medinah  and  Sinoris  to 
the  building  of  a  house  of  worship  in  the  latter  place,  but  God 
heard  the  prayers  of  His  people,  and  formal  permission  was 
granted  by  the  government,  and  the  foundations  were  laid  on 
May  6,  1874.  By  the  end  of  the  year  the  walls  were  finished 
and  enough  money  had  been  secured,  chiefly  through  Brother 
Harvey,  to  finish  the  building.  A  good  deal  of  persecution  and 
determined  opposition  were  often  experienced  in  the  work  in 
the  Faiyum,  both  from  the  Copts  and  the  government  officials, 
the  latter  at  Coptic  instigation.  As  a  specimen  of  what  not 
unfrequently  occurred,  1  record  the  following:  During  this 
period  services  were  being  held  in  Sinoris  one  Sabbath  day  by 
Brother  Harvey  when  an  order  came  from  the  seat  of  the  pro- 
vincial government  at  Medinah  for  six  Protestants  to  appear  be- 
fore the  governor,  the  names  being  given,  and  among  them  Mr. 
Fanus  Hanna  and  one  of  the  teachers.  They  obeyed  the  sum- 
mons, though  they  had  no  knowledge  of  what  they  were 
accused.  On  reaching  the  government  oftkes  they  were 
brought  before  the  sub-governor,  who  thrust  them  into  prison 
without  giving  any  reasons.  After  some  hours  they  were 
recalled  and  accused  by  the  Coptic  priests  of  talking  against 
their  religion.  They  replied  that  they  were  only  trying  to  lead 
the  people  back  to  their  original  faith.  They  were  then,  after 
attempts  were  made  to  intimidate  them,  kept  until  the  gover- 
nor arrived,  and  wliile  waiting  for  him  persons  tried  to  induce 
them  to  sign  a  paper  promising  not  to  agitate  any  more  on  the 


IN  Egypt.  293 

differences  between  the  Copts  and  Protestants,  but  they  firmly 
refused.  After  the  governor  came  they  were  questioned  about 
their  conduct,  and  the  chief  scribe,  a  Copt,  tried  to  influence 
the  governor  against  them,  but  he,  seeing  they  had  committed 
no  offence  against  tiie  law,  released  them.  It  afterwards  hap- 
pened, however,  that  in  other  cases  the  brethren  found  it  not 
easy  to  convince  the  authorities  of  their  innocence,  for  Muham- 
madan  rulers  generally  have  a  strong  hatred  to  Protestantism, 
because  it  makes  men  intelligent  and  gives  a  love  of  freedom, 
and  undermines  Islamism  effectually,  and  is  more  likely  to 
make  converts  than  the  sects  that  worship  pictures  and  pray 
to  saints. 

The  period  from  January  i,  1870,  to  December  31,  1874, 
was  one  of  great  importance  in  the  history  of  the  work  in  the 
town  of  Asyut  and  the  great  districi:  attached  to  it,  whether  to 
the  north  or  to  the  south.  Brother  Currie,  who  had  his  head- 
quarters at  Kus,  had,  in  the  mysterious  providence  of  God, 
been  taken  home  to  receive  his  eternal  reward,  and  the  super- 
intendence of  the  work  in  that  region  naturally  fell  upon  the 
missionaries  at  Asyut.  Of  the  things  worthy  of  note  (and 
perhaps  no  more  worthy  than  many  others),  I  would  mention 
the  following : 

Beginning  with  Asyut.  The  building,  the  site  for  which 
was  bought  in  December,  1868,  but  which,  for  various 
reasons,  was  not  commenced  until  the  29th  of  November,  1869, 
was  so  far  advanced  by  the  time  presbytery  met  in  1870  that  it 
was  resolved  to  meet  in  it  thenceforward,  in  preference  to  the 
open  court  in  which  for  several  months  the  religious  services 
had  been  conducted,  and  to  make  the  occasion  memorable,  it 
was  agreed  that  the  first  meeting  should  be  held  in  the  new 
church  on  the  first  Sabbath  of  March,  when  all  the  missionaries 
of  Egypt  would  be  present.  A  preliminary  meeting  was  held 
on  the  previous  evening,  at  which  the  retiring  moderator  de- 
livered a  carefully  prepared  discourse  on  2  Corinthians  10 : 4, 
and  constituted  the  presbytery  with  prayer  in  the  presence  of 
an  attentive  and  interested  audience,  who  had  never  witnessed 
such  a  ceremony,  affecting  in  its  very  simplicity.  At  an  early 
houi  next  morning  an  audience  of  above  two  hundred  assembled 


294  The  American  Mission 

to  witness  the  dedication  services  in  which  all  the  other  ordained 
missionaries  took  part.     Dr.  Barnett  presented  the  dedicatory 
prayer,  Dr.  Lansing  preached  the  opening  sermon.     Dr.  Hogg 
baptized  two  children  and  admitted  eight  new  members,  then 
the  Lord's  Supper  was  celebrated,  at  which  the  Rev.  Messrs. 
Ewing  and   Harvey  officiated,  and    Brother    Ewing  preached 
also  in  the  evening.  Special  services  were  held  in  the  new  church 
every  night  during  the  meeting  of  presbytery,  the  most  impor- 
tant of  which  was  that  held  on  Wednesday,  March  i6,  when 
after  a  careful  examination,  lasting  for  several  nights,  two  of  the 
students  of  the  seminary  were  formally  lic:;nsed  by  the  presby- 
tery to  preach  the  everlasting  Gospel.     The  beautiful  commun- 
ion service  presented  to  the  Asyut  congregation  by  the  Second 
United  Presbyterian  church  of  Monmouth,  111.,  was  used   for 
the  first  time,  and  formally  presented  to  the  congregation  at  the 
interesting  communion  season  just  referred  to,  so  that  nothing 
was  wanting  to  make  it  a  day  long  to  be  remembered.     Early 
in  the  following  April  the  organization  of  the   Asyut  congrega- 
tion was  effected  by  the  election  and  ordination  of  three  elders 
and  two  deacons  who  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  spread  of  the 
truth  in  their  own  town  and  elsewhere.     The  year   1870  was 
remarkable,  too,  for  the  large  accession  to  the  membership, 
viz.,  forty  in  one  year,  of  v/hom  nineteen  were  from  Asyut, 
During  the  absence  of  Dr.  Hogg  for  more  than  a  year,  the  con- 
gregational work  was  carried  on  five  months  by  missionaries 
from  the  northern  stations  and  eight  months  by  licentiates  and 
other  native  workers.     The  many  changes  of  workers,  some  of 
whom  were  but  poorly  qualified,  had  an  injurious  effect  upon 
the  congregation,  and  the  evening  meetings  and  Sabbath  schools, 
but  after  the  return  of  Dr.  Hogg  and  during  the  following  two 
years  there  was  a  marked  improvement. 

After  the  organization  of  the  congregation  of  Nakheilah  on 
April  22,  1871,  sixteen  of  the  members  of  the  Asyut  congrega- 
tion were  transferred  to  its  roll  because  they  resided  in  that 
locality.  A  call  was  made  out  by  the  Nakheilah  congregation 
for  Mr.  Tadros  Yusif,  who  had  been  laboring  there  for  some 
time,  to  become  their  pastor,  and  was  by  him  accepted,  and  at 
a  meeting  of  presbytery  held  October   31,  1871,  he  was  sol- 


IN  Egypt.  295 

emnly  set  apart  to  the  ministry  of  the  Word  and  installed  pas- 
tor over  the  Lord's  people  there.  This  was  the  first  meeting  of 
presbytery  at  which  the  business  was  transacted  in  the  Arabic 
language,  and  in  which  Egyptians  were  members,  and  this  was 
the  first  pastorate  which  was  formed  in  connection  with  our 
mission  in  Egypt.  It  has  been  on  the  whole  a  successful  one. 
Few  Egyptians  have  a  better  head  and  better  heart  than  Rev. 
Tadros  Yusif.  The  amount  of  hard  work  he  has  done,  with  no 
grumbling,  with  no  mercenary  spirit,  with  no  seeking  after 
qlory,  is  only  known  to  the  Master  Himself.  The  growth  of 
the  evangelical  church  in  the  neighborhood  is  largely  due  to  his 
energy  and  perseverance,  tact,  and  unselfish  labor.  He  has 
now  lost  his  sight,  but  still  serves  the  Lord  with  all  his  strength 
and  power.  Nakheilah  is  a  large  town,  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Nile,  about  four  hours'  ride  south  of  Asyut.  Half  or  more 
of  its  inhabitants  were  Copts.  It  had  been  visited  by  all  the 
missionaries  who  made  trips  on  the  Nile.  In  the  early  history  of 
the  mission  many  copies  of  the  Scriptures  were  sold  there.  The 
theological  students  or  other  workers  were  accustomed  to  go 
there  from  Asyut  in  turn  on  Saturday  and  spend  the  Lord's 
Day.  Dr.  Hogg  went  there  for  the  Sabbath  as  often  as  he  could. 
The  rich  family  of  Ez  Zaglamah  had  become  enlightened 
and  its  members  gladly  entertained  the  workers,  and  for  a  time 
allowed  their  meetings  to  be  held  in  their  large  court.  During 
the  year  before  the  installation,  Mr.  Tadros  Yusif  labored  there 
vv'ith  great  acceptance.  Fifty-five  were  added  to  the  member- 
ship during  the  year  187 1,  so  that  success  followed  his  labors 
from  the  beginning  of  his  ministry.  Tadros  Abu  Zaglamy 
was  one  of  the  leading  men  of  Nakheilah  and  the  head  of  the 
laity  of  the  Coptic  sect  in  the  whole  region.  It  was  no  easy 
matter  for  a  man  in  his  position  to  renounce  the  love  of 
honor  and  join  himself  to  the  small  despised  evangelical  party. 
But  God  who  had  called  him  by  His  grace  and  resolved  to  use 
him,  not  as  Saul  the  persecutor,  but  as  Paul  the  preacher  and 
apostle,  opened  his  heart  to  the  reception  of  the  truth  when  it 
was  first  proclaimed  in  the  town  by  the  evangelists  from 
Asyut,  and,  like  Lydia  of  old,  he  opened  his  house  to  the 
preachers,  and  then  opened  his  mouth  to  speak  in  their  defence 


296  The  American  Mission 

and  to  silence  their  opponents.  After  searching  the  Scriptures 
with  great  zeal  and  attending  the  services  with  unfailing  regu- 
larity for  some  time,  he  made  a  public  profession  of  his  faith 
and  was  admitted  to  the  membership  of  the  church.  From  that 
day  to  the  day  of  his  death  his  zeal  in  the  work  of  the  Lord  was 
ever  on  the  increase.  He  always  carried  a  copy  of  the  New 
Testament  in  his  pocket,  and  wherever  he  went  and  with 
whomsoever  he  was  he  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  reading 
from  it  and  conversing  with  all  who  would  listen  to  him  on  the 
great  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  of  salvation.  His  example  was 
greatly  blessed  in  stirring  up  the  rest  of  the  brethren,  espe- 
cially on  the  night  when  volunteers  were  asked  for  village 
work.  Besides  his  earnest  Christian  zeal,  he  was  distinguished 
by  many  amiable  traits  of  character.  Notable  among  these 
was  his  humility,  by  which  he  often  won  over  to  him  men  of 
the  basest  description  who  sought  to  prevent  him  reading  aloud 
in  the  market  place,  or  in  the  streets  where  he  generally  spent 
a  portion  of  every  Lord's  day.  His  singleness  of  purpose  and 
sincerity  in  the  performance  of  his  duties  were  also  very 
marked,  and  also  the  faithful  manner  in  which  he  endeavored 
to  minister  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  his  own  household.  His 
labors  were  owned  of  God  in  the  spiritual  enlightenment  of  all 
the  members  of  his  large  household,  a  matter  which  caused  him 
unfeigned  delight  during  the  whole  of  his  Christian  career,  and 
v/hich  also  proved  a  solace  to  his  family  after  decease.  On 
the  day  of  his  death  two  of  the  brethren  called  on  him.  He 
had  been  confined  to  the  house  for  only  a  fortnight,  and  was 
still  able  to  sit  up  on  the  divan,  and  none  of  us  imagined  that 
his  illness  was  anything  very  serious.  He  himself  seems  to 
have  felt  otherwise.  He  asked  them  to  sing  the  eighty-fourth 
Psalm,  in  which  David  gives  utterance  to  his  fervent  longings 
for  his  heavenly  home.  After  they  had  sung  it  once  he  asked 
them  to  sing  it  a  second  time.  Shortly  after  their  departure 
one  of  the  elders  visited  him  and  read  to  him  a  portion  of  the 
Scripture,  and  then  engaged  in  prayer,  and  in  the  course  of  his 
prayer  he  besought  the  Lord  to  remove  his  sickness  and  re- 
store him  to  his  wonted  health  and  strength.  When  he  had 
finished  Mr.  Tadros  said,   "Why  didn't  you  say,  thy  will  be 


IN  Egypt.  297 

done  ?  "  He  then  called  his  son  (who  is  superintendent  of  the 
Sabbath  school  in  Nakheilah),  and  charged  him  to  prepare 
rooms  for  the  accommodation  of  the  pastor  and  also  of  the  boys' 
school,  until  the  church,  etc.,  should  be  built.  In  a  few  hours 
he  had  left  us.  Quietly,  calmly,  and  without  a  struggle  he  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus. 

The  congregation  of  Mutiah  was  organized  on  December 
16,  1871,  by  the  ordination  of  elders,  by  a  commission  of  pres- 
bytery consisting  of  Rev.  Tadros  Yusif,  Elder  Athanasius  and 
the  writer.  During  the  examination  of  the  officers-elect  it  came 
out  that  the  chief  man  in  the  congregation  and  one  of  the  elders- 
elect  had  a  slave.  I  took  him  aside  and  had  a  solemn  talk  with 
him,  and  tried  to  show  him  the  sin  of  slavery  and  the  incon- 
sistency of  a  Christian  holding  a  human  being  in  bondage.  He 
said  he  had  never  thought  of  it  before  ;  that  he  would  think 
about  it  and  pray  over  it  that  night  and  let  me  know  in  the 
morning  what  he  would  do,  for  I  had  told  him  we  could  not  go 
on  with  the  ordination  until  he  liberated  his  slave.  In  the  morn- 
ing he  announced  that  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was 
wrong  for  a  Christian  to  hold  a  human  being  in  bondage,  and 
that  he  would  publicly  announce  the  emancipation  of  his  slave 
in  the  meeting  of  the  congregation  in  the  evening,  which  he  did 
in  all  sincerity.  He  always  thereafter  treated  him  as  a  son,  and 
not  as  a  slave.  This  congregation  of  Mutiah  grew  rapidly. 
Twenty-two  who  were  on  the  Asyut  roll  were  transferred  to 
this  new  organization.  Supplies  were  sent  as  often  as  possible 
from  the  seminary,  to  conduct  the  services  on  Sabbath  day,  but 
the  elder  just  mentioned  was  able  in  the  Scriptures,  very  fluent 
in  speech  and  earnest  in  prayer,  and  therefore  was  capable  of 
edifying  his  brethren.  By  February  18,  1872,  the  membership 
had  become  forty-five.  These  two  congregations,  with  that  of 
Asyut,  became  centers  and  sources  of  light  to  all  the  villages  in 
the  district  around.  Every  Sabbath  afternoon  the  more  earnest 
and  enlightened  members  were  accustomed  to  visit  the  villages 
in  the  neighborhood,  or  sought  out  people  in  their  own  towns, 
and  it  might  literally  be  said  that  "they  went  everywhere 
preaching  the  Word."  The  almost  sole  subject  of  conversation 
then  was  the  doctrines  of  grace,  the  new  religion  of  the  Protest- 


298  The  A.wERiCAN  Mission 

ants  as  being  in  accord  with  or  a  republication  of  the  old  re- 
ligion of  the  Apostles.  A  very  large  part  of  the  success  around 
Asyut  was  due  to  these  native  volunteers,  who  were  led  on  and 
fired  up  by  Brother  Hogg. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  one  reason  for  the  rapid  spread 
of  evangelical  views  at  this  period  was  the  custom  of  meeting 
every  night  at  the  various  centers  for  religious  services,  a  cus- 
tom that  still  prevails  in  many  places.  I  believe  it  was  origin- 
ated by  Dr.  Hogg,  and,  at  least  in  the  beginning  of  the  work,  it 
served  as  a  means  to  keep  up  the  interest  and  zeal  of  those  who 
had  already  professed  their  faith,  while  it  afforded  a  daily  op- 
portunity for  inquirers  to  learn  more  of  the  doctrines  of  the  new 
sect,  and  to  become  acquainted  with  the  teaching  of  the  Lord  in 
His  own  Word  in  contrast  with  the  commandments  of  men  which 
they  had  been  taught  from  their  youth.  Dr.  Hogg  reported 
thirty-nine  meetings  for  prayer,  singing  and  the  study  of  the 
Word  each  week  throughout  the  year  in  Asyut,  Mutiah,  Bagore, 
Daweir  and  Nakheilah,  with  an  average  of  twenty  at  each 
meeting.  In  Sinoris,  the  same  year,  meetings  were  held  on  the 
nights  of  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday  and  Saturday. 

Meetings  were  also  held  in  Haret-es-Sakkain  and  the  Ezba- 
kiyah,  Cairo,  but  varying  in  success,  on  account  of  the  diffi- 
culties of  fixing  an  hour  suitable  to  all. 

hi  Asyut  there  were  624  night  meetings  in  1873,  313  in 
Mutiah,  391  in  Nakheilah,  373  in  Kus  ;  the  average  at  each  was 
thirty  persons.  Some  of  these  meetings  were  held  during  the 
day,  i.  e.,  those  expressly  for  women,  as  very  few  women  at- 
tend the  night  meetings,  it  being  contrary  to  their  ideas  of  pro- 
priety, as  well  as  an  interference  with  their  domestic  duties,  to 
go  out  at  night. 

A  movement  was  started  by  Mrs.  Lansing,  by  which  a 
number  of  the  members  went  out  on  Sabbath  afternoon  and 
distributed  tracts  in  Cairo.  This  continued  for  some  time,  and 
was  a  means  of  great  good. 

Irregular  visits  were  made  by  missionaries,  or  by  native 
pastors  and  other  workers,  to  many  places  in  the  district  of 
Asyut,  such  as  Bcni-Aleig,  Walidiyah,  Dronka,  Shutl,  Mooshi, 
Bagore,  Azziyah,  Busrah,  Bedari,  Mellawi.Wasta,  Abnub,Tahta, 


IN  Egypt.  299 

Hammin,  Jawily,  Es  Sahil,  Navvamus,  Kom  Saadah  and  Min)-a, 
and  evangelical  literature  was  freely  circulated  and  read,  espe- 
cially the  controversial  works  of  Dr.  Mashaka,  of  Damascus, 
and  schools  were  opened  in  various  places. 

Brother  Harvey  visited  Kus  in  the  spring  of  1870  and  spent 
a  few  weeks  in  that  region.  Brother  Ewing,  with  his  family, 
spent  over  two  months  there  about  the  beginning  of  1871,  butthe 
people  were  still  in  mourning  over  the  death  of  Brother  Currie, 
to  whom  they  had  been  greatly  attached.  There  had  been  a 
good  deal  of  alienation  of  feeling  between  some  members,  but 
some  of  this  was  removed.  All  for  a  time  took  great  interest 
in  the  erection  of  a  place  of  meeting  on  a  lot  favorably  located 
and  freely  given  to  the  congregation.  The  Coptic  clergy,  how- 
ever, reported  to  the  government  that  the  Protestants  of  Kus 
had  commenced  to  build  a  church  without  a  license,  and  on  peti- 
tioning for  such  license,  though  the  good  offices  of  various 
influential  parties  had  been  secured,  they  had  not  received  a 
favorable  reply  when  Brother  Ewing  visited  them  again  in 
November  and  December.  This,  with  the  absence  of  stated 
supply,  was  the  cause  of  some  discouragement  and  coldness. 
The  visits  of  some  native  workers,  as  the  Rev.  Tadros  Yusif 
and  others,  had  a  reviving  effect  on  them  and  a  quickening  in- 
fluence on  the  inquirers  at  Luxor  and  Kurnah,  as  also  did  a  brief 
tour  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Strang.  But  not  only  did  they  not  receive 
license  to  build  up  to  the  end  of  1874,  but  they  were  compelled 
to  promise  that  they  would  desist  from  holding  religious  meet- 
ings altogether,  until  they  got  formal  permission  to  build  a 
church  for  themselves.  From  the  beginning  of  the  mission 
work,  and  especially  as  soon  as  success  seemed  to  follow  the 
mission  efforts,  the  enemies  of  the  cause  used  every  means  to 
oppose  and  annoy  them.  The  Coptic  clergy  ordered  their 
people  not  to  rent  houses  or  sell  lands  to  Protestants.  The 
government,  too,  in  all  its  departments  was  against  us  and  car- 
ried out  a  system  of  petty  persecutions  against  the  new  sect, 
which  was  said  to  be  led  on  by  foreigners,  who  had  the  secret 
design  of  taking  the  country.  Sometimes  the  most  outrageous 
acts  of  injustice  were  perpetrated  on  the  native  evangelists  in 
the  way  of  imposing  forced  labor  on  them  or  their  children. 


300  The  American  Mission 

This  made  it  necessary  sometimes  for  the  missionaries  to  ask 
for  the  good  offices  of  the  English  or  the  American  consul. 
This  indirectly  served  to  confirm  the  officials  in  the  idea  that 
the  missionaries  came  to  extend  the  influence  of  foreign  powers 
in  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  The  greatest  opposition  was  shown 
by  the  government  to  giving  permission  to  the  Protestants  to 
build  places  of  worship.  However,  notwithstanding  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  Coptic  clergy,  and  the  acts  of  irijustice  of  the  Egypt- 
ian officials,  the  Word  of  God  continued  to  show  its  power  over 
the  hearts  and  lives  of  many,  for  during  these  five  years  there 
united  with  the  Protestant  Church  in  Egypt  435  on  profession 
of  their  faith  in  Christ  as  their  only  Saviour.  They  also  con- 
tributed of  their  means  towards  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  or  the 
erection  of  places  of  worship  during  this  period  the  following 
sums  as  near  as  I  have  been  able  to  gather :  Alexandria,  $264  ; 
Monsurah,  $260;  Cairo,  ^2,775;  Asyut,  $3,503;  Mutiah, 
$458;  Mellawi,  $483;  Sinoris,  $862;  Nakheilah,  $1,750  J 
Kus,  $367. 

MEDICAL  DEPARTMENT. 

Soon  after  the  beginning  of  1870  the  anathema  of  the 
Coptic  bishop  in  Asyut  was  pronounced  against  any  Copt  who 
should  visit  or  receive  medicine  from  the  Protestant  doctor. 
At  first  this  had  some  effect,  but  it  was  of  short  duration,  for 
before  the  year  ended  Dr.  Johnston  was  called  to  visit  the 
bishop's  sister  in  his  own  house.  Besides  the  clinic  held  at  the 
surgery,  at  which  many  attended,  frequent  calls  were  made  in 
the  homes  of  the  people  in  Asyut  itself,  as  well  as  the  villages 
around.  During  1871  the  doctor's  practice  extended  more  to 
the  Muslims  than  formerly,  while  from  thirty  to  fifty  persons 
applied  at  the  clinic  for  treatment  every  day.  The  doctor's 
experience  was  often  discouraging,  because  his  best  efforts  were 
often  rendered  useless  through  the  disregard  of  his  patients  to 
his  orders,  and  their  ready  belief  in  any  suggestion  of  a  stray 
caller,  or  a  want  of  confidence  in  the  use  of  means,  the  in- 
fluence of  the  almost  universal  belief  in  the  dogma  of  fate  being 
very  great.     Dr.  Johnston's  duties  in  the  academy  took  up  a 


IN  EGYPT.  301 

good  part  of  his  time  from  tiie  year  1872  onward.  In  1873,  Dr. 
Johnston  was  compelled  to  be  away  from  Asyut  for  eight 
months.  He  was  detained  in  Cairo  by  the  illness  and  death  of 
his  son  in  March,  and  on  account  of  his  own  health  and  the 
necessities  of  the  station  at  Monsurah,  he  was  requested  to 
labor  there  and  take  charge  of  the  work  during  the  summer. 
Mr.  Rule,  who  had  been  appointed  to  Monsurah,  afterwards 
resigned  and  went  home  to  America,  on  account  of  a  change  of 
views  in  doctrine  and  practice.  Dr.  Johnston  returned  to  Asyut 
in  September  and  immediately  left  on  the  small  boat  to  make  a 
trip  on  the  Nile  as  far  as  Esna.  He  found  many  opportunities 
for  helping  the  suffering  and  giving  them  medicine  for  body  and 
soul.  During  1874,  patients  numbering  4,500  were  treated 
either  medically  or  surgically,  more  than  half  of  them  for  dis- 
eases of  the  eyes.  The  charge  of  the  academy  prevented  the 
doctor  from  making  any  trips  on  the  Nile  afterwards. 


302  The  American  Mission 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

January  i,  1875,  to  January  i.  1880 — Comparative  statistics— A\issionaries 
and  stations — New  missionaries— Alexandria,  work,  accessions — A\onsurah,work 
and  workers— Cairo,  Dr.  Lansing  pastor— Work  in  Ezbakiyah,  Haret-es-Sakkain 
and  Bulac — Accessions — Case  of  Ahmed  Fahmy,  conversion,  kidnaping — Means 
employed  to  have  him  recant — Return  to  Dr.  Lansing's — Departure  for  Scotland 
with  Lord  Aberdeen — Attends  University  of  Edinburgh — Goes  to  China — Laying 
foundation  of  new  premises  in  Cairo,  interesting  exercises — New  cemeter'v  in 
Cairo — Faiyum — Opening  of  a  new  church— Departure  of  Mr.  and  A\rs.  Harvey 
to  America— Election  of  pastor  in  Sinoris — Asyut,  unsatisfactory-  state  of  congre- 
gation— Places  occupied  in  the  neighborhood  and  work  done  by  zealous  mem- 
bers—The millwright— Work  in  Upper  Thebaid— Mr.  Harvey's  trip  on  Ibis,  1877- 
78— His  visit  to  Kosair— Mr.  Giffen's  visit  to  same  with  Rev.  G.  Raphael — New 
pastorates— New  organizations,  etc. 

COMPARATIVE  STATISTICS. 

Ja7i.  /,  1 8  J 5.               Five  years  period.  Jan.  i,  1880. 

7  Ordained  missionaries,  8 

2  Other  male  missionaries,  o 

6  Unmarried  female  missionaries,  6 

9  Married  female  missionaries,  8 

2  Native  ordained  ministers,  6 

15  Other  presbyter ial  workers,  25 

6  Organized  churches,  11 
596  Church  members,  985 
986  Sabbatli  morning  average  attendance,  2,083 

$3,106  Church  contributions,  $4,726 

14  Sabbath  schools,  30 

733  Sabbath  school  scholars,  i>575 

24  Weekly  schools,  44 

40  Teachers  in  same,  85 

1,170  Pupils  in  same,  2,218 

$567  Tuitions,  $3,225 

5  Book  depots,  5 

7  Salesmen  and  colporteurs,  12 
10,176  Volumes  sold,  20,720 

$2,541  Income  from  sales,  $4,694 


IN   EGYPT.  303 

MISSIONARY  STAFF— 1 874- 1 879. 

Alexandria.  Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing  and  wife,  and  Rev.  John 
Giffen,  till  July,  1877.  Miss  Theresa  M.  Campbell  until  May, 
1876   and  Miss  M.  A.  Frazier  from  November  25,  1877- 

'cairo.  Rev.  G.  Lansing,  D.  D.,  and  wife,  Rev.  A.  Watson 
and  wife,  Rev.  W.  Harvey  and  wife,  from  April  i,  1878. 
Misses  E.  F.  Johnston,  A.  G.  Thompson  and  M.  A.  Smith. 

Asyut.  Rev.  J.  Hogg,  D.  D.,  and  wife.  Dr.  D.  R.  John- 
ston and  wife  till  April  of  1875,  Mr.  D.  Strang  and  wife  until 
they  left  for  America,  Rev.  J.  R.  Alexander,  Rev.  John  Giffen 
from  July,  1877.  Miss  M.  J  McKown,  Miss  M.  G.  Lockhart 
until  April,  1878,  when  she  returned  to  America. 

MonsiimJi.  Rev.  A.  M.  Nichol  and  wife.  Miss  M.  E.  Gal- 
loway until  her  marriage  with  Rev.  John  Giffen,  on  June  5, 
1876.     Miss  Isabella  Strang  from  the  spring  of  1879. 

NEW  MISSIONARIES  IN  THIS  PERIOD. 

Rev  Messrs.  J.  R.  Alexander,  John  Giffen  and  Miss  M.  E. 
Galloway  reached  Egypt  March  13,  187 5-  Miss  Carrie  Elder 
came  out  in  the  autumn  of  1876,  and  on  her  arrival  was  married 
to  Rev.  J.  R.  Alexander.  Miss  Isabella  Strang  reached  Egypt  in 
the  spring  of  1879.  Miss  M.  A.  Frazier  from  Damascus,  Novem- 
ber, 1877.  . 

Whenever  the  various  departments  of  mission  work  at  any 
central  station  have  been  established  and  the  workers  have  en- 
tered upon  their  duties,  each  one  his  own  or  her  own  place, 
whether  as  teachers,  or  preachers,  or  Bible  readers,  or  colpor- 
teurs, they  may  all  be  performing  their  duties  earnestly  and 
faithfully,  and  yet  there  may  be  nothing  of  special  interest  to 
place  on  record.     Just  as  in  the  history  of  congregations  in  the 
home  field,  quiet,  steady  work  may  be  carried  on  and  yet  there 
be  nothincr  of  unusual  importance.     There  may  be  only  small 
results  for  some  years,  but  if  the  seed  is  being  sown  in  faith 
and  prayer,  there  will  come  a  time  of  ingathering.     Indeed,  it 
often  happens  that  for  a  period  faithful  work  is  done,  protracted 
sufferings  endured,  great  obstacles  overcome,  and  yet  the  mis- 
Sionary'feels  unwilling  to  put  it  on  paper  for  the  public  eye. 


304  The  American  Mission 

These  remarks  are  specially  applicable  to  some  of  the  central 
stations  during  this  period  of  the  history  of  the  mission. 

Brother  Ewing  had  charge  of  the  congregational  and  evan- 
gelistic work  in  Alexandria  as  well  as  the  book  department. 
He  was  assisted  part  of  the  time  by  ex-priest  Buktor.  The 
morning  services  continued  to  be  held  in  the  Scotch  church 
and  in  the  afternoon  in  the  mission  house  in  connection  with 
the  Sabbath  school.  Fifteen  members  were  added  during  these 
five  years  on  profession  of  their  faith,  and  six  by  certificate. 
More  than  half  as  many  removed  to  other  places,  so  that  at 
the  close  of  1879  the  total  number  reported  on  the  roll  was 
forty-one.  Services  were  conducted  on  Sabbath  and  prayer- 
meetings  held  also  at  Kermuz,  a  suburb  of  Alexandria,  part  of 
the  time. 

Alonsurah  was  left  during  1875  in  the  care  of  native  agents. 
Rev.  Makhiel  El-Belyani  conducting  the  religious  services  on 
Sabbath  day  and  prayer-meetings  during  the  week,  with  the 
help  of  the  teachers.  Ex-priest  Yacoob  took  his  place  in  1876. 
In  the  succeeding  years  Brother  Nichol  was  assisted  by  Mr. 
Habib  Zakhir  and  others,  as  he  was  never  in  very  robust 
health.  Little  progress  was  made  in  this  most  difificult  field, 
but  the  seed  was  being  sown  by  books  and  by  the  living  voice 
and  Christian  life. 

In  Cairo,  Dr.  Lansing  was  in  charge  of  the  Arabic  congre- 
gation and  the  services  were  continued  without  interruption. 
Brother  Harvey  and  the  writer  took  their  turns  with  Dr.  Lans- 
ing in  conducting  services,  both  in  Arabic  and  English,  and 
occasionally  Rev.  Makhiel  El-Belyani.  The  lower  chapel  of  the 
new  premises  was  used  for  the  first  time  on  the  first  Sabbath 
of  June,  1876.  Special  services  were  conducted  by  Dr.  Lansing 
in  Arabic  and  by  the  writer  in  English.  From  that  time  the 
attendance  continued  to  improve  ;  from  three  to  five  evening 
meetings  were  kept  up  at  different  times  and  places  in  the  city. 
Services  were  continued  also  in  Haret-es-Sakkain  in  the  after- 
noon by  Mr.  Harvey  and  for  a  time  in  the  morning.  A  service 
was  commenced  also  at  Bulak  by  Rev.  Makhiel.  The  Sabbath 
schools  and  prayer-meetings  for  women,  as  well  as  all  the  day 
schools,  continued.     The  services  in  Armenian   and    Turkish 


Mission   House,    Cairo. 


IN  Egypt.  505 

were  suspended,  and  the  Armenians  from  that  time  attended 
either  the  Arabic  or  the  English  services.  During  these  years 
there  were  added  to  the  church  by  profession  fifty-five  persons 
and  six  by  certificates.  Some  fell  into  open  sins  and  were  sus- 
pended. Others  were  taken  away  to  the  world  of  spirits. 
The  membership  at  the  close  of  1879,  including  Haret-es-Sak- 
kain  and  Bulak,  was  loi. 

THE  CASE  OF  AHMED  FAHMY. 

He  and  his  two  brothers,  Muhammad  and  Mahmud,  had 
all  been  pupils  in  the  boys'  school  in  Cairo.  Dr.  Lansing  once 
made  this  remark  to  a  friend  who  visited  the  school,  pointing 
to  Muhammad,  the  older,  "  That  young  man  is  near  the  king- 
dom of  God."  He  had  such  faith  in  him  that  he  encouraged 
him  to  open  and  conduct  a  school  in  the  name  of  the  mission  in 
Bulak,  and  subsequently  in  Geeza.  The  boys  were  sons  of 
parents  of  good  position  and  some  wealth,  the  father  being  chief 
clerk  in  the  Muslim  court  of  appeal.  While  Ahmed  was  attend- 
ing the  mission  school  he  also  took  lessons  in  El  Azhar,  the 
chief  school  of  Muhammadan  learning  in  Cairo.  He  did  not 
seem  to  have  been  much  influenced,  however,  by  what  instruc- 
tion he  received  in  our  school.  In  it  he  learned  English  as  well 
as  French,  and  thus  a  world  of  reading  matter  was  opened  up 
to  him.  He  got  possession  of  various  books  that  seemed  to 
exert  an  influence  upon  him.  In  the  autumn  of  1875  he  was 
employed  as  teacher  of  the  new  missionaries,  and  continued  in 
that  capacity  until  his  conversion.  In  performing  these  duties 
he  had  Miss  Smith  as  one  of  his  pupils.  She  says  :  "  Besides 
other  books,  we  read  every  day  a  chapter  from  the  Bible.  Of 
this,  he  afterwards  said,  he  tried  hard  not  to  think  of  the  mean- 
ing, and  if  any  argument  was  brought  forward  in  favor  of 
Christianity  it  irritated  him  very  much,  so  much  so  that  he  be- 
came angry  and  requested  that  nothing  more  be  said  on  that 
subject."  The  only  recourse  was  prayer.  The  chapter  each 
day  was  read  without  comment.  After  several  months  he 
began  to  ask  questions,  and  finally  he  became  satisfied  as  to  the 
truth  of  Christianity,  but  did  not  dare  to  mention  it  to  any  one. 


3o6  The  American  Mission 

Prejudice,  too,  was  hard  to  overcome.  He  afterwards  expressed 
his  feelings  in  this  way  :  "1  was  like  a  man  tossed  about  by 
the  raging  waves  of  the  sea  and  in  danger  of  being  drowned  ; 
near  me  was  a  ship  in  which  1  knew  1  could  find  safety,  but  I 
felt  I  would  rather  perish  than  be  saved  by  that  ship."  He 
would  arise  at  night  and  pray  when  all  were  asleep,  and  he 
would  imagine  some  of  the  family  looking  at  him.  At  this  time 
he  had  great  conflict  of  soul.  On  one  side  was  the  honor  of 
his  family  and  friends,  and  the  terrible  disgrace  he  would  bring 
upon  himself  and  his  loved  ones  (for  he  dearly  loved  his 
parents,  brothers  and  sisters).  On  the  other  hand,  the  terrible 
persecution  and  death  that,  perhaps,  would  follow ;  the  hate 
that  would  take  the  place  of  fond  love  in  the  hearts  of  his  rel- 
atives. Then  there  was  the  love  of  Christ  and  the  promise  of 
salvation  through  Him  alone.  After  a  long  and  fierce  struggle, 
the  decision  was  made,  encouraged  thereto  by  the  assurance 
that  he  would  receive  a  hundred-fold  more  in  this  life  with  per- 
secution and  in  the  world  to  come  life  everlasting.  He  wrote 
out  a  confession  in  Christ  with  the  Scripture  reasons  for  becom- 
ing a  Christian,  but  he  carried  this  confession  in  his  pocket  for 
many  days  before  he  gained  strength  and  courage  enough  to 
hand  it  over  and  thus  make  known  that  he  was  a  Christian. 
Finally,  he  announced  his  determination  to  profess  the  Christian 
faith  and  sent  a  letter  on  October  i6,  1877,  to  that  effect  to 
Miss  Smith,  and  she  communicated  the  news  to  the  rest.  He 
came  to  this  deliberate  conclusion  after  much  thought  and 
prayer,  and  knew  well  that  it  meant  separation  from  parents 
and  other  relatives.  Miss  Smith  says  :  "He  had  gath- 
ered quite  a  little  library  of  English  books,  which  he 
prized  very  much  indeed,  and  he  was  loath  to  leave 
them  behind  in  his  father's  house,  so  he  would  bring 
some  of  them  every  day  when  he  came  to  give  the  lesson, 
sometimes  bringing  one  of  his  father's  slaves  to  carry  them. 
When  he  had  brought  all  away,  he  then  wrote  a  letter  to  his 
father,  telling  him  that  he  had  become  a  Christian,  and  giving 
him  his  reasons  for  so  doing,  and  urging  him  to  examine  into 
the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion.  As  Ahmed  could  no  longer 
stay  at  his  father's  house,  nor  with  any  of  his  relatives  or  Mus- 


IN  Egypt.  307 

lim  friends,  and  would  not  be  safe  in  tlie  house  of  any  native 
Egyptian,  Dr.  Lansing  tool<  liim  into  his  family  on  November 
12,   1877.     On  the  26th  of  the  same  month  he  received  the 
solemn  rite  of  baptism.     Never  had  so  touching  a  scene  been 
witnessed  in  our  little  congregation.     All  felt  that  he  had  given 
up  much,  nay,  all,  for    Christ,  and  that   he  was  thoroughly 
sincere.     Joy,  mingled  with  fear  for  his  safety,  was  m  every 
heart,  and  earnest  prayers  were  offered  to  the  Lord  of  Joseph 
to  protect  him.     He  continued  to  give  lessons  as  usual.     The 
news  of  his  defection  from  the  religion  of  his  fathers  spread 
rapidly  through  the  city.     His  relatives  and  Muslim  friends  were 
allowed  to  visit  him.     Several  of  them  did  so,  and  brought 
learned  men  to  discuss  with  him  the  various  questions  of  differ- 
ence between  Islam  and  Christianity.     They  tried  every  means 
to  influence  him  to  go  back— arguments,  entreaties,  tears,  and 
threats  were  all  employed  to  induce  him  to  recant,  but  in  vain. 
Failing  in  this,  they  watched  his  movements  and  laid  a  plan  for 
kidnapinghim.     He  was  accustomed  to  come  from  Dr.  Lansing's 
house  at  a  certain  time  to  give  a  lesson  and  return  towards  sun- 
set.    So,  on  Thursday,  December  20,  1877,  towards  sunset,  his 
brother  Muhammad  and  other  relatives,  dressed  as  fellaheen, 
watched  for  him  on  his  return  from  the  mission  house,  which 
was  situated  only  a  few  yards  from  Dr.  Lansing's  house,  pounced 
upon  him,  thrust  him  into  a  closed  carriage,  one  of  them  keep- 
ing his  hand  on  his  mouth  to  prevent  him  calling  out,  and  carried 
him  ofi^  to  his  father's  house.     Perhaps  in  less  than  half  an  hour 
he  was  missed,  and  the  missionaries  were  thrown  into  the 
greatest  sorrow  and  consternation.     What  had  become  of  him  ? 
Had  he  gone  back  to  Islam  .?     We  could  not  believe  it,  though 
some  of  the  natives  were  ready  enough  to  support  it.     Had  the 
government  spies  been  on  his  track  and  seized  him  ?     Inquiries 
were  made  of  persons  in  the  neighborhood,  but  nothing  definite 
could  be  discovered.     Evidently  there  had  been  some  occurrence 
at  the  time,  but  those  who  witnessed  it  were  afraid  to  tell  what 
they  knew.     What  suspense  that  night !     Which  one  of  us  will 
ever  forget  it  ?     The  missionaries  immediately  applied  to  the 
American  and  English  consuls-general,  and  they,  without  hesi- 
tation,  interceded  with  the  government  of  the  Khedive  in  his  be- 


3o8  The  a.werican  Mission 

half,  and  obtained  information  and  assurances  that  he  was  safe 
in  his  father's  house.  He  remained  there  under  the  most  strict 
surveillance  of  his  relatives  for  five  weeks.  Every  effort  was 
made  to  secure  his  return  to  Islam.  Promises  of  a  lucrative 
position,  threats  of  torture  and  death,  the  tears  of  his  mother, 
the  entreaties  of  his  father  and  brothers,  were  all  used,  but  in 
vain.  A  noted  arguer,  more  of  an  infidel  than  a  Muhammadan, 
who  has  since  become  notorious  in  Persia,  England  and  Con- 
stantinople, Gamal  ed-Deen,  was  brought  to  argue  with  him, 
but,  although  eight  hours  were  spent  in  the  discussion  one  day, 
and  six  hours  the  next,  and  Ahmed  was  wearied  and  worried  so 
that  he  could  not  speak  any  longer,  yet  he  would  not  recant. 
A  sheikh  noted  for  writing  enchantments  for  protection  and  for 
injury,  came  and  handed  the  relatives  a  little  silk  bag  containing 
a  sheet  of  paper  written  in  Arabic  in  a  mystic  form,  and  folded 
in  a  triangular  shape,  and  told  him  to  put  it  under  his  fez,  say- 
ing it  would  either  cure  him  of  his  infidel  tendencies,  or,  if  he 
insisted  on  going  back  to  the  infidels,  it  would  produce  in  him 
the  wildest  insanity.  He  was  told  that  a  house  had  been  se- 
cured in  which  he  would  be  killed,  according  to  the  Muhamma- 
dan law,  which  enjoins  the  death  of  every  backslider.  His 
mother,  who  was  so  affected  and  ill  that  she  seemed  to  be  dying, 
sent  for  him  and  begged  him  with  tears  to  say  for  her  sake, 
with  his  lips  if  not  with  his  heart,  the  Muhammadan  creed : 
"  There  is  no  God  but  God,  and  Muhammad  is  the  apostle  of 
God."  This  he  did  for  her  sake.  Then,  when  they  saw  he 
had  gone  so  far,  they  prepared  a  recantation  and  made  him  sign 
it.  TliLMi  they  took  him  to  the  chief  of  the  police  and  made  him 
sign  a  similar  document  there.  After  this  a  messenger  from 
the  English  vice-consul  came  to  the  mission,  saying:  "Ahmed 
and  his  relatives  are  at  the  Englisii  consulate  wishing  to  see 
you."  We  suspected,  in  part,  the  state  of  the  case  immediately, 
that  he  had  been  brought  there  in  order  to  declare  in  our 
presence  and  the  presence  of  the  consul  that  he  had  gone  back 
to  Islam,  but  we  did  not  know  the  preparations  made  previously 
to  frighten  him.  Dr.  Lansing  and  the  writer  went  there,  and 
found  Ahmed  sitting  between  his  two  brothers,  and  his  father 
on  the  other  side  of  the  room.     After  the  usual  salutations,  we 


IN  hGYPT.  3og 

asKed  him  if  he  had  gone  back  to  Islam.     He  replied,  in  a  hesi- 
tating manner,  "  Yes."     We  told  him  he  need  fear  nothing,  he 
was  now  in  a  place  where  there  was  absolute  freedom,  and 
asked  him  again,  and  he  replied  in  the  same  manner.     This 
astonished  us.     We  could  scarcely  believe  our  ears.     Still,  we 
noticed  that  there  was  no  appearance  of  joy  in  the  faces  of  the 
brothers  or  the  father.     We  left  immediately,  and  on  their  de- 
manding his  books  and  clothes,  we  said  they  were  at  their  dis- 
posal at  any  time.     Both  Miss  Smith  and  the  writer  prepared  a 
few  lines,  in  the  shape  of  a  letter,  and  put  them  in  two  books 
of  his  that  were  taken  to  him,  saying  that  we  were  sad  at  his 
having  denied  his  Saviour,  but  he  was  no  worse  than  Peter,  and 
on  repentance  and  a  new  life  Jesus  was  ready  to  forgive  him. 
We  learned  afterwards  that  the  day  before,  Mr.  Awad  Hanna 
got  a  chance  to  speak  to  him,  and  learned  from  him  that  he  was 
yet  a  Christian  at  heart,  so  we  anxiously  waited  to  hear  from 
him  again.     Next  day,  to  our  delight,  we  found  a  letter  in  the 
postoffke  from  him,  telling  us  that  he  was  still  a  Christian,  and 
that  he  would  come  to  us  soon  and  tell  us  his  story.     The  next 
day,  while  I  was  preparing  my  lecture  for  the  theological  stu- 
dents, Mrs.  Lansing  rapped  at  the  door  and  said,  with  a  beam- 
ing face,   "Ahmed  is  here."     Jumping  up,  I  rushed  into  the 
next  room  and  grasped  him  as  I  never  did  anyone  before,  so  de- 
lighted  was   I.      He  told    all  his    story.      It  was  his   brother 
Muhammad  (of  whom  Dr.  Lansing  had  said,  "He  is  near  the 
kingdom")  disguised,  who  seized  him  and  with  others  forced 
him  into  the  closed  carriage,  and  took  him  to  his  father's  house, 
where  what  I  have  already  written  took  place.     Before  he  was 
taken  to  the  English  consulate  he  was  threatened  by  his  brother 
Muhammad,  who  showed  him  the  weapons  he  had  on  him,  and 
told  him  that  even  though  he  himself  should  be  killed  for  killing 
him,  that  was  better  than  to  have  a  brother  disgrace  the  family 
by  becoming  a  Christian.     For  a  time  it  was  proposed  to  put 
him  in  an  office  in  the  police  court,  where  he  could  be  watched. 
He  continued  to  call  occasionally,  and  he  attended  the  English 
service  when  General  Grant  was  present,  and  Dr.  Lansing,  in 
his  sermon,  made  an  allusion  to  him  which  caused  many  inquir- 
ies to  be  made.     On  January  i6  he  again  escaped  from  his 


310  The  American  Mission 

father's  house  and  took  refuj^e  a  second  time  in  Dr.  Lansing's 
house.  The  government  then  assured  the  consuls  that  orders 
had  been  given  to  the  officials  and  to  the  relatives  that  no  harm 
should  be  done  to  him,  and  should  the  threats  of  assassination 
which  had  been  freely  vented  by  them  be  executed,  they  would 
be  held  responsible,  but  at  the  same  time  we  were  informed 
*•  that  they  could  not  assure  his  safety,  for  they  could  not  send 
with  him  a  company  of  soldiers  whenever  he  should  go  out  in 
the  streets."  In  the  report  of  the  mission  for  1877,  it  is  added 
that  "  this,  together  with  the  failure  of  the  government  to  punish 
those  guilty  of  his  abduction  and  forcible  retention  for  several 
weeks,  and  also  to  secure  his  rights,  such  as  the  restoration  of 
his  books  and  clothes,  and  other  developments  which  we  cannot 
mention,  made  him  feel  that  it  would  not  be  safe  to  venture  out 
in  the  streets  alone,  and  at  length,  unnerved  by  five  months 
confinement  with  us  and  in  his  father's  house,  under  circum- 
stances of  peculiar  trial,  he  was  glad  to  accept  the  kind  offer  of 
the  Earl  of  Aberdeen  to  take  him  to  Scotland,  far  away  from 
his  persecutors,  and  also  to  give  him  an  opportunity  to  pursue 
his  studies  in  the  university,  in  preparation  for  future  useful- 
ness. He  sailed  from  Alexandria  on  March  24,  1878,  and, 
much  endeared  to  us  all  by  our  intercourse  with  him,  he  has 
gone  accompanied  by  our  hearts'  affections  and  prayers  on  his 
behalf.  Though  his  case  has  not  secured  all  that  could  be  de- 
sired on  the  question  of  religious  toleration,  we  feel  that  it  is 
a  great  advance  on  the  past.  First,  it  may  be  considered  as' 
settled  that  under  the  rule  of  his  highness  the  Khedive,  it  is  not 
possible  that  a  man  can  be  judicially  exiled  on  account  of  defec- 
tion from  Islam.  Second,  the  fanaticism  of  many  of  the  com- 
mon people,  and  the  feelings  of  family  and  caste  pride  are  \ct 
so  strong  that  even  the  government  is  unable  to  take  the  firm 
position  on  the  side  of  toleration  that  would  secure  for  converts 
from  Islam  perfect  safety."  Ahmed  was  allowed  by  Lord  Aber- 
deen to  pursue  his  studies  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh  until 
he  took  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  all  expenses  being  met  by  the 
noble  earl.  Difficulties  on  the  line  of  mission  policy  prevented 
his  being  employed  in  the  Lord's  work  in  Egypt,  as  well  as  some 
doubts  as  to  the  safety  of  his  person.     He,  therefore,  accepted 


IN  Egypt.  311 

an  invitation  from  the  London  Mission  as  medical  missionary, 
and  has  been  very  successful  in  the  superintendence  of  a  hos- 
pital at  Chang  Chew  Amoy,  China. 

THE   NEW   PREMISES  IN  CAIRO. 

As  no  Christian  cliurch  can  be  erected  in  Egypt  without  a 
license  (though  no  permission  was  then  required  to  build  grog 
shops  or  houses  of  ill-fame),  application  was  made  through  the 
consulate-general  for  the  necessary  authorization.  The  gov- 
ernor of  the  city  called  on  the  consul-general  and  presented 
various  objections  to  the  erection  of  a  house  of  worship  at  that 
particular  place,  chief  among  which  was  that  it  would  be  dis- 
agreeable to  the  inhabitants  and  visitors  at  Shepheard's  hotel  to 
have  the  continuous  ringing  of  a  bell  so  near  them.  The  con- 
sul-general replied  that  he  did  not  suppose  there  would  be  much 
annoyance  on  that  score,  as  Protestants  of  their  kind  did  not 
indulge  in  that  kind  of  display,  as  some  other  sects.  Not  find- 
ing any  encouragement  from  the  American  consul-general,  after 
the  usual  eastern  delay,  the  permission  came.  Plans  having 
been  drawn  up  and  approved  by  the  Missionary  Association  and 
the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  ground  was  broken  for  the  foun- 
dations of  the  new  premises  on  February  22,  1875.  The  foun- 
dations had  to  be  sunk  on  an  average,  sixteen  feet  below  the 
surface  of  the  ground  to  the  bottom  of  the  old  lake  existing 
there  long  ago.  Over  three  thousand  cubic  yards  of  solid 
masonry  were  put  under  ground  for  two-thirds  of  the  building, 
at  a  cost  of  ^10,000.  Subsequently,  when  the  other  one-third 
was  built  it  cost  $5,000,  so  that  the  whole  cost  of  the 
foundations  up  to  the  surface  of  the  lot  was  $15,000.  On  the 
26th  of  November,  1875,  a  select  company  of  Americans  and 
English,  and  other  nationalities,  some  of  them  travelers  and 
some  residents,  together  with  a  large  concourse  of  Egyptians, 
Copts,  Protestants,  Muslims,  Greeks,  Catholic-Armenians,  and 
Jews  assembled  on  the  lot  to  witness  the  laying  of  the  corner- 
stone in  accordance  with  United  Presbyterian  (not  Masonic) 
rites.  A  large  tent  had  been  erected,  covering  what  was  in- 
tended to  be  the  basement  chapel,   and  was  furnished   with 


312  The  American  Mission 

sofas,  chairs  and  benches.  The  stone,  with  the  hole  cut  in  it 
for  the  reception  of  the  tin  box  containing  various  articles,  was 
suspended  over  the  spot  where  it  was  to  rest,  and  a  young 
buffalo  was  provided,  according  to  custom,  to  be  slaughtered 
for  the  benefit  of  the  workmen.  By  three  P.  M.  the  tent  was 
filled  with  people,  while  on  either  side  and  in  front  stood  a  large 
interested  crowd,  from  the  fairest  Circassian  to  the  darkest 
African,  attired  in  costumes  as  diversified  as  their  nationalities. 
Our  worthy  consul-general,  Hon.  R.  Beardsley,  from  Indiana, 
occupied  the  chair,  supported  on  the  right  by  Hon.  Bancroft 
Davis,  U.  S.  ambassador  at  Berlin,  and  on  the  left  by  Rev.  G. 
Lansing,  D.  D.,  the  oldest  missionary  of  our  church  in  Egypt. 
The  exercises  were  opened  with  an  appropriate  prayer  by  the 
Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing,  of  our  mission  in  Alexandria.  Then  Hon. 
Bancroft  Davis  read  in  English  an  historical  account  of  the 
mission,  from  which  it  appeared  that  the  mission  was  begun  in 
1854  by  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Thomas  McCague,  and  20  days  after 
him  the  Rev.  James  Barnett,  and  that  at  the  time  of  the  cere- 
mony there  were  in  connection  with  the  mission  :  8  male  mis- 
sionaries with  their  wives ;  2  male  missionaries,  unmarried  ; 
7  female  missionaries ;  12  native  evangelists  and  pastors;  63 
teachers,  male  and  female;  6  Bible  women  ;  12 colporteurs  ;  14 
primary  schools  for  boys;  7  primary  schools  for  girls  ;  2  board- 
ing schools  for  girls ;  i  training  college ;  4  boys'  schools  of 
medium  grade  ;  i  presbytery  ;  6  organized  churches  ;  9  un- 
organized churches  ;  6cK)  members  of  native  Protestant  churches; 
3,000  Protestant  community. 

Mr.  Davis  made  a  few  pointed  remarks  about  the  results 
already  attained  by  the  mission,  and  the  duty  of  all  lovers  of 
the  cause,  and  especially  Americans,  to  give  their  sympathy 
and  aid  towards  the  completion  of  the  accommodation  needed 
in  Cairo  for  chapel  and  school  purposes.  Then  followed  Dr. 
Lansing,  reading  the  same  historical  sketch  in  Arabic,  then 
speaking  of  the  importance  of  suitable  school-rooms  and  com- 
modious, comfortable  accommodation  for  church  purposes,  and 
remarking  how  appropriately  the  church  was  related  to  the 
scliools  in  the  plan  of  the  premises,  because  it  was  supported 
on  the  one  side  by  the  girls'  school,  and  on  the  other  by  the 


IN  Egypt.  313 

boys',  proclaiming  to  the  world  that  our  cause  prospers  not  by 
keeping  the  people  in  ignorance,  but  by  pouring  in  the  light  of 
science  and  Divine  truth.  Then  the  tin  box,  containing  the 
records  of  the  mission  and  congregation,  copies  of  the  Christian 
Instructor,  the  United  Presbyterian,  and  the  Evangelical  Repos- 
itory, some  American,  English,  Turkish,  and  Arabic  secular 
newspapers,  a  copy  of  the  title-deed  of  the  lot,  a  copy  of  the 
Bible  in  Arabic,  the  Shorter  Catechism,  and  a  number  of  Amer- 
ican and  Egyptian  coins,  were  put  into  the  place  hewn  for  them 
in  the  stone,  the  stone  laid  into  its  place  in  the  wall,  just  under 
the  doorstep  of  the  lower  chapel,  and  with  a  knock  with  a  small 
hammer  the  consul-general  declared  it  well  laid,  in  which  he 
was  followed  and  imitated  by  the  governor  of  Cairo,  his  excel- 
lency Omar  Pasha  Lutfi,  Then  followed  Dr.  Potter,  of  New 
York,  with  an  impromptu  but  eloquent  address,  in  which  he  spoke 
in  congratulatory  terms  of  the  work  of  the  American  Mission,  and 
referred  to  the  peculiar  gratification  which  the  day's  proceed- 
ings must  give  to  the  senior  member  of  the  mission,  and  in  the 
most  earnest  manner  declared,  that  though  of  another  branch  of 
the  Christian  Church,  which  perhaps  Dr.  Lansing  would 
scarcely  consider  orthodox,  still  he  could  heartily  ask  the  bene- 
diction of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  on  this 
Christian  enterprise.  Then  Judge  Batcheller,  member  from 
America  of  the  mixed  tribunals  in  Cairo,  made  an  appropriate 
and  stirring  address  in  the  way  of  encouragement  to  the  mis- 
sionaries and  appeal  to  the  friends  of  the  work  to  aid  it  to  the 
extent  of  their  ability.  Rev.  Mr.  Poe,  British  chaplain,  also 
added  his  congratulations.  The  exercises  were  then  brought  to 
a  close  and  the  audience  dismissed  with  prayer  and  the  bene- 
diction in  Arabic  by  the  writer.  It  was  a  day  long  to  be  re- 
membered by  all  present,  and  of  great  importance  in  the  history 
of  the  mission  in  Cairo  and  Egypt.  The  stone,  the  laying  of 
which  was  accompanied  by  the  exercises  described,  was 
not  laid  at  the  bottom  of  the  foundation,  which  I  have  said  is 
from  fifteen  to  seventeen  feet  below  the  surface,  but  at  the  top, 
immediately  under  the  doorstep,  according  to  the  eastern  cus- 
tom. Indeed,  the  greater  part  of  the  walls  were  already  a 
yard  above  the  ground.     The  lower  chapel  and  two  stories  of 


314  The  American  Mission 

the  east  wing  were  occupied  in  the  winter  1876-77.  The  third 
story  of  the  east  wing  was  finished  later  on  and  occupied  by 
Dr.  Lansing.  Towards  the  close  of  1881  the  west  wing  was 
finished  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Harvey  and  the  writer.  There 
were  added  afterwards  a  few  additional  rooms  for  the  comple 
tion  of  the  premises,  a  view  of  which  is  taken  from  the  south- 
west corner,  and  is  given  opposite 

NEW  CEMETERY  IN  CAIRO. 

It  may  seem  strange  to  mention  such  an  item  in  a  report  of 
mission  work,  but  the  matter  of  having  a  place  where  a  man 
may  bury  his  dead  without  opposition  or  distraction,  often  has 
had  a  strong  influence  in  determining  the  action  of  an  inquirer 
after  the  truth.  Seldom  can  one  be  buried  in  a  Coptic  ceme- 
tery except  after  a  Coptic  funeral  service,  whereas  much  of 
that  service  is  directly  opposed  to  Protestant  principles.  The 
Catholics  are  even  more  strict,  while  the  Greeks  are  not  much 
less  so.  Some  of  our  converts  have  had  not  only  vexatious  but 
harrowing  experiences  in  times  of  death  in  their  families.  At 
such  times  the  Coptic  priests  are  generally  very  persistent  in 
opposing  any  application  from  a  Coptic  convert  to  bury  his 
dead,  even  in  a  tomb  that  belongs  to  the  family,  if  within  the  • 
bounds  of  a  Coptic  cemetery.  Of  course,  where  the  towns  are 
near  the  mountains,  there  is  no  difficulty,  as  the  graveyards 
are,  in  that  case,  on  the  edge  of  the  desert  and  without  walls  ; 
but  in  the  delta,  and  in  places  where  the  cemetery  is  near  the 
town  itself,  and  surrounded  by  a  wall,  there  is  serious  trouble 
in  the  case  of  a  death  among  any  of  our  people.  It  is  on  this 
account  that  Protestant  converts  often  secure  the  possession  of 
a  piece  of  ground  in  which  to  bury  their  dead  about  as  soon  as 
they  look  out  for  a  lot  on  which  to  erect  the  house  of  prayer. 
The  heat,  the  laws,  and  the  customs  of  the  country  all  combine 
to  hasten  the  burial  of  the  dead.  The  law  makes  it  obligatory 
to  be  done  before  the  second  sunset  and  the  custom  founded  on 
the  proverb,  "  Do  you  wish  to  honor  your  dead,  bury  them," 
secures  the  burial  often  within  a  few  hours  after  decease.  In- 
deed, I  have  known  many  instances  where  preparations  for 
burial  were  made  before  the  breath   had  departed.     Any  dif- 


IN  Egypt.  315 

ficulty,  then,  delaying  the  burial  is  exceedingly  harrowing.  I 
know  one  case  where  a  sincere  and  earnest  Christian  had  to 
take  his  dead  child  and  go  to  a  town  twenty  miles  away  to 
have  the  body  put  in  its  resting  place.  We  have  not  had 
experiences  as  severe  as  that  in  Cairo,  yet  there  were  several 
unpleasant  occurrences  with  our  Coptic  and  our  high  church 
Episcopalian  neighbors  which  prompted  us  to  secure  an  Amer- 
ican cemetery,  where  the  dead  of  any  nationality  and  any 
religion  may  be  interred  without  opposition.  A  petition  was 
presented  to  his  highness  Ishmael  Pasha,  begging  him  to  give  us 
a  free  grant  of  a  piece  of  desert  land  in  the  region  of  Old  Cairo. 
We  supposed  that  he  would  raise  no  objections  to  such  a 
request,  as  he  would  be  willing  to  have  all  the  Frank  population 
buried  out  of  his  way  as  soon  as  possible,  and  he  had  a  gener- 
ous disposition  which  prompted  him  to  bestow  favors  when  such 
bestowal  did  not  interfere  with  any  of  his  financial  or  political 
projects,  and  might  bring  him  the  praise  of  which  he  was 
fond.  It  was  not  long  before,  he,  through  our  counsul,  informed 
the  mission  that  the  request  was  granted,  and  that  the  proper 
papers  would  be  given  by  the  department  of  public  works. 
This  was  at  a  time,  when  to  secure  promptitude  in  that  depart- 
ment, depended  on  the  amount  of  bribes  given  to  the  chief 
clerk  and  the  civil  engineer.  We  had  never  been  in  the  habit 
of  securing  prompt  action  in  government  offices  in  that  way, 
and  therefore  the  matter  was  not  pushed  for  a  long  time.  I 
was  the  only  male  missionary  present  in  Cairo  at  the  time,  and 
I  am  sure  I  must  have  gone  to  that  particular  office  twenty 
times  before  the  order  was  issued  and  permission  was  given  to 
erect  the  walls.  The  plot  is  fifty  by  one  hundred  metres.  A 
subscription  paper  was  prepared  and  money  gathered  from  resi- 
dents and  travelers  to  the  amount  of  over  ^1,500,  and  with  this 
and  some  additional  sums  a  wall  around  the  lot  and  two  rooms 
were  erected.  Trees  have  been  planted  which  give  grateful 
shade  from  the  burning  sun,  and  some  other  improvements 
have  also  been  made  to  make  the  place  appear  less  desolate 
looking.  Many,  at  the  date  of  writing,  have  been  buried  in  it, 
Americans,  Germans,  French,  missionaries,  Egyptians,  Armen- 
ians and  others.     In  the  centre  rest  the  ashes  of  Dr.  and  Mrs. 


3i6  The  American  Mission 

Lansing,  Mrs.  John  Giffen  and  other  members  of  the  mission 
families. 

Passing  on  to  the  Faiyum  we  find  Brother  Harvey  visiting 
many  of  the  out-stations  once,  and  sometimes  twice,  and  he 
also  made  a  pastoral  visitation  of  all  the  families  of  the  Sinoris 
congregation  during  the  first  half  of  1875,  and  pushed  on  the 
work  of  the  new  church  so  that  it  was  formally  opened  for 
Divine  worship  on  May  28,  1875.  Both  Dr.  Lansing  and  Dr. 
Hogg  were  present  on  that  interesting  occasion,  and  took  part 
in  the  exercises.  The  death  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey's  little 
daughter  Annie,  so  beloved  by  all,  only  twelve  days  before, 
and  her  new-made  grave  by  the  north  wall  of  the  church,  cast 
a  certain  sadness  over  the  large  company  that  met  to  witness 
the  dedicatory  services.  Mr.  Harvey  and  family  left  the  Fai- 
yum on  a  visit  to  America  on  the  first  day  of  June,  1875,  being 
accompanied  on  their  way  for  a  distance  by  their  sorrowing 
parishioners,  whom  they  had  been  the  means  of  leading  to  the 
Saviour.  After  their  departure  the  evangelistic  work  was  car- 
ried on  in  the  Faiyum  by  native  evangelists.  Dr.  Lansing  and 
Miss  Thompson  visited  that  district  twice  during  the  last  half  of 
1875,  ^^^  ^^  'tli^  '^^^t  visit  Dr.  Lansing  moderated  in  a  call  for 
a  pastor  over  the  Sinoris  congregation.  Mr.  Shanooda  Hanna, 
one  of  the  licentiates,  was  unanimously  chosen,  and  the  sum 
of  twenty  dollars  monthly  pledged  towards  his  salary.  After 
•his  ordination  the  evangelistic  work  of  the  district  was  carried 
on  under  his  direction.  On  Brother  Harvey's  return  from 
America  he  visited  this,  his  old  field  of  labor,  and  did  some 
evangelistic  work  according  to  appointment  of  association. 
The  increase  of  membership  by  profession  in  that  district  dur» 
ing  the  five  years  was  103,  showing  the  fulfilment  of  God's 
promise  that  His  word  shall  not  return  to  Him  void. 

Passing  to  the  south,  we  find  that  the  Asyut  congregation, 
being  without  a  pastor,  had  the  services  of  Dr.  Hogg  and  Mr. 
Strang  during  the  first  part  of  this  period,  and  Mr.  Ibrahim 
Yusif  during  the  greater  part  of  the  following  three  years.  Of 
course  the  former  were  unable  to  attend  to  pastoral  work,  and 
the  congregation  suffered  to  some  extent  in  consequence. 
Special   circumstances   also  conspired   to  retard  tlie    progress 


IN  Egypt.  317 

which  was  desired  in  that  important  center.  There  were,  how- 
ever, fifty-nine  additions  to  the  membership  by  profession  dur- 
ing this  period,  but  the  spiritual  condition  of  the  congregation  was 
far  from  being  satisfactory.  The  missionaries,  besides  being  so 
fully  engaged  in  the  educational  work,  naturally  left  the  care  of 
the  congregation  to  the  session,  but  the  members  of  session  had 
not  yet  learned  their  duties,  or  did  not  have  time  to  attend  to 
them.  The  field,  in  connection  with  the  Asyut  station,  was  at 
that  time  still  very  extensive,  comprising  the  valley  of  the  Nile 
from  Minya  as  far  as  the  first  cataract.  It  is  true  that  the  prov- 
inces of  Kena  and  Esna,  were,  by  order  of  the  association, 
attached  to  the  Cairo  center  for  a  time,  and  Brother  Harvey 
made  evangelistic  tours  in  these  provinces  in  \Z'J^-^Z  and 
1878-79,  yet  the  proximity  of  Asyut  to  the  several  stations 
there,  where  work  was  carried  on,  and  the  previous  acquaint- 
ance of  people  with  Dr.  Hogg,  were  sufficient  reasons 
for  the  uninterrupted  correspondence  which  was  carried 
on  between  him  and  the  inquiring  minds  of  that  region.  Per- 
haps only  few  places  were  visited  by  the  missionaries,  between 
1875  and  1879,  which  had  not  been  visited  before,  but  the  work 
was  continued  and  energetically  followed  up,  both  by  them  and 
the  native  workers,  who  were  being  trained  in  the  Asyut  col- 
lege and  the  theological  seminary,  and  many  places  were 
occupied  during  this  period  that  were  not  occupied  before.  In 
1875  the  places  occupied  were :  Azziyah,  Abnub,  Mishta  and 
Kosair ;  in  1876,  Minya,  Zarabi,  Nakadah,  Erment  and  Esna ; 
in  1877,  Baiyadiyah,  Masarah,  Tema,  Daweir  and  Maris  ;  in 
1878,  Menfalut,  Beni  Adi,  Sanabu,  and  Ekhmim  a  second  time 
in  1879. 

The  work  was  carried  on  through  this  extensive  field  by 
means  of  tours  made  by  the  missionaries  up  and  down  the  Nile 
on  the  mission  boat,  visits  over  Sabbath  to  the  villages  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Asyut,  made  both  by  the  missionaries  stationed 
at  Asyut  and  by  zealous  members  of  that  congregation  and  the 
neighboring  congregations  of  Nakheilah  and  Mutiah,  or  students 
in  the  training  college,  or  continuous  work  by  native  workers 
appointed  to  various  important  centers.  An  interesting  condi- 
tion of  the  work  then  was,  that  as  soon  as  a  man  adopted  evan- 


3i8  The  American  Mission 

gelical  views,  he  was  zealous  in  spreading  the  truth  among 
others.  Everyone  who  could  read  was  possessed  of  a  copy  of 
the  Bible,  or  at  least  of  the  New  Testament,  and  was  very  ready 
to  read  from  it  in  the  hearing  of  others.  The  Protestant  car- 
penters of  Asyut  were  not  only  noted  as  able  and  honest  work- 
men at  their  trade,  but  also  as  Christians  zealous  in  the  defence 
and  dissemination  of  evangelical  truth.  At  a  certain  stage  of 
the  work,  perhaps  no  person  was  as  successful  as  Athanasius, 
the  millwright,  in  leading  people  away  from  their  confidence  in 
fastings,  feasts  and  forms,  and  bringing  them  to  trust  alone  in 
Jesus'  death  and  sufferings  for  their  souls'  salvation ;  and  he 
was  the  most  successful,  too,  while  he  remained  at  his  trade, 
erecting  sakias  *  throughout  the  country.  It  was  a  great  mis- 
take to  take  a  man  of  his  age  and  want  of  early  training  and  put 
him  in  the  theological  class  and  attempt  to  make  a  preacher  of 
him.  Similar  mistakes,  though  not  so  patent,  were  made  during 
the  past  history  of  the  mission  in  the  province  of  Asyut  and 
elsewhere. 

Dr.  Hogg  visited  the  upper  Thebaid  in  1875,  ^^^  conducted 
evangelistic  services  in  Esna,  Erment,  Luxor,  Karnak,  Bedari, 
Mutiah,  Bagore,  Jawily  and  Azziyah.  At  Esna  he  met  blind 
Yusif,  whom  he  called  a  righteous  man  in  a  filthy  Sodom.  He 
begged  Dr.  Hogg  to  dismiss  his  boatman  and  stay  at  least  two 
months,  but  the  great  heat  (112°  in  the  shade)  and  nervous 
prostration  forbade  the  acceptance  of  such  a  proposition.  Mr. 
Strang,  Mr.  Nichol  and  Mr.  Tadros  also  in  1875  visited  the  The- 
baid, and  Mr.  Hogg,  with  the  theological  class,  in  1876;  Mr. 
Alexander  and  Mr.  Giffen  in  1878.  Mr.  Harvey  made  two  trips 
during  1877-79.  '  have  thought  it  would  be  interesting  to  give 
some  of  his  notes,  taken  from  his  journal,  kindly  furnished  me, 
to  enable  the  reader  to  understand  the  Nile  work  at  that  time. 
The  change  in  the  work  will  be  noticed  from  the  time  Dr.  Hogg 
made  his  trip,  of  which  I  gave  a  sketch  in  the  chapter  for  1862. 
Then  the  missionary  took  with  him  books  and  made  large  sales, 
and  had  more  discussions,  but  Dr.  Harvey  found  little  C(Mnpanies 
of  believers,  whom  he  addressed  along  with  many  other  hearers. 
Dr.  Harvey  says : 
•  Wheels  for  raising  water 


IN  EGYPT.  319 

"  October  15,  1877.  At  4:26  P.  M.  we  left  Asyut,  the  wind 
being  from  the  north,  and  we  sailed  up  the  river  beautifully, 
under  the  mellow  light  of  the  half  moon." 

"  October  16,  1877.  We  continued  sailing,  with  a  good 
wind  until  about  4  A.  M.,  when  there  arose  quite  a  squall  from 
a  mountain  we  were  passing.  It  was  with  difficulty  the  sailors 
took  in  the  sails.  We  lay  to  for  a  short  time,  and  set  sail  again 
about  sunrise  and  reached  Ekhmim  about  5  P.  M." 

"  October  18,  1877.  We  arrived  at  Kus  at  9  P.  M.,  making 
the  trip,  inclusive  of  stoppages,  in  three  days  and  four  hours, 
or  in  sixty  hours  of  actual  sailing." 

"  October  19.  This  morning  I  rode  up  to  the  town,  don- 
keys having  been  sent  down  for  us.  I  went  to  the  school  house 
with  Areef  Girgis  and  Mr.  Bishai,  and  met  a  number  of  the 
brethren.  After  spending  some  time  in  conversation  with  them 
we  dined  at  Mr.  Bashara's.  When  we  returned  Messrs.  Fam 
and  Malati  came  down  to  the  boat  with  me.  Fam  has  not 
changed,  still  firm,  and  even  obstinate.  My  impressions  of 
Mr.  Bashara  are  as  formerly,  he  is  a  very  nice  man." 

"  October  22.  Yesterday  we  all  went  up  to  the  town. 
The  meeting  was  held  in  the  house  of  Butros.  I  preached  from 
Romans  i :  16,  *  For  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,' 
etc.  The  interval  was  spent  in  the  house  of  Bashara.  At  4 
P.  M.  a  few  assembled  and  we  held  a  second  service.  I  com- 
mented on  the  first  part  of  the  first  chapter  of  Acts.  I  was  dis- 
appointed in  finding  so  few  present  in  the  afternoon.  My  first 
impressions  are  that  there  are  veryfewhere  who  have  the  work 
at  heart.  We  returned  to  the  boat  at  sunset,  accompanied  by 
three  or  four  on  their  way  home  to  Nakada,  and  with  them  I 
talked,  read  and  prayed.  Girgis  Lozy  and  Ghibrial,  son  of  Job 
of  Kosair,  called  to-day  and  spent  some  time  with  me,  and 
afterwards  I  went  up  to  Kus  with  them.  Mr.  Bishai  opened 
the  school  to-day  with  forty-five  pupils.  I  was  present  to  close 
it  and  to  conduct  a  meeting  before  sunset ;  subject,  first  part  of 
John  I." 

"  October  25.  Yesterday  1  called  at  the  house  of  Ay 00b 
and  afterwards  conducted  a  meeting  at  the  school  house  ;  sub- 
ject, second  paragraph  John  i." 


320  The  American  Mission 

"  October  26.  Luxor.  We  reached  this  place  last  night 
at  sunset.  After  tea  I  went  up  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Giorgios 
and  after  a  little,  ten  or  twelve  came  and  I  read  and  commented 
on  Romans  8:  i,  'There  is,  therefore,  now  no  condemnation,* 
etc.  After  the  meeting  the  brethren  accompanied  me  to  the 
boat.  This  morning  the  consular  agent  called.  Hanain  Effendi 
and  Mr,  Giorgios  spent  part  of  the  forenoon  in  the  boat.  After 
dinner  we  sailed  to  the  front  of  Karnak  ;  were  not  as  much  im- 
pressed v\ith  the  ruins  as  when  we  were  here  before.  Returned 
before  sunset  and  held  a  meeting  in  the  house  of  Giorgios — sub- 
ject, John  3  :  14.     There  were  upwards  of  twenty  persons." 

"  October  27.  Conducted  services  in  the  house  of  Gior- 
gios.    Subject,  prayer.     Twenty  or  over  present." 

"  October  — .  Yesterday  in  the  morning  1  preached  in 
Luxor  from  John  9:5.  There  were  present  forty  men,  seven- 
teen women,  and  fifteen  boys,  and  four  girls.  They  seemed 
to  listen  with  attention.  The  audience  certainly  was  encourag- 
ing, and  had  there  been  a  regular  place  of  worship  no  doubt  it 
would  have  been  much  larger.  At  noon  to-day  we  crossed  the 
river  and  v/alked  to  the  two  great  statues,  and  from  there  we  rode 
on  donkeys  to  the  house  of  Ayoob.  It  struck  me  as  strange  to 
find  the  house  in  that  place  of  ancient  tombs  and  departed  glory 
of  Egypt's  most  renowned  monarchs,  in  which  God  is  v\or- 
shiped  with  the  morning  and  evening  sacrifice,  and  where  the 
glad  tidings  of  salvation  are  proclaimed  from  time  to  time. 
The  little  congregation  here  is  composed  of  sixteen  persons, 
all  but  two  from  two  families.  I  preached  from  Psalm  42:  i, 
and  baptized  a  child  on  the  profession  of  its  mother;  the  father, 
who  was  present  during  the  fust  part  of  the  service,  left  before 
the  baptism  took  place.  An  hour  and  a  half  after  sunset 
reached  a  point  near  Erment,  and  from  there  walked  up  with 
Lozy  and  the  captain  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Garas.  We  found 
sixteen  persons  assembled  reading  the  Scriptures.  After  the 
usual  salutation,  I  addressed  them  on  the  subject  of  adoption 
from  I  John  3:1.  After  the  benediction  was  pronounced,  one 
of  them  proposed  that  we  sing  a  Psalm,  which  ended  the  meet- 
ing, when  a  number  of  them  came  with  us  to  the  boat." 

"October  31.  Esna.  We  arrived  here  about  four  hours 
after  sunset  last  night.     This  morning  Kaddis  made  his  appear- 


IN  EGYPT.  321 

ance  and  after  him  Yusif.  By  and  by  the  doctor,  the  kadi,  the 
mufti,  and  the  engineer  of  the  province  called  and  spent  some 
time  with  us.  I  tried  to  talk  with  them  for  their  profit,  Yusif 
and  Lozy  helping  me.  Read  and  explained  part  of  Romans  10 
and  prayed  with  them.  The  conversation  still  continued  to  3 
P.  M.  when  they  left." 

"  November  i.  Yusif  and  Kaddis  were  with  us  nearly  the 
whole  day,  and  I  spent  some  of  the  time  talking  with  them  on 
matters  of  doctrine,  etc.  Books  have  been  sold,  and  I  pray 
that  the  good  seed  may  bring  forth  good  fruit." 

"  November  4.  Still  at  Esna.  This  morning  1  held  a  ser- 
vice in  the  house  of  Yusif  Kaddis;  text,  2  Timothy  i:  12.  After 
sermon  we  observed  the  sacrament  of  the  Supper.  The  com- 
municants were  Lozy,  Kaddis,  Yusif,  his  wife,  his  sister,  and 
my  wife,  and  myself — seven  persons.  While  I  was  speaking 
Yusif's  father  and  uncle  came  in.  The  latter  did  not  remain. 
The  audience  numbered  fourteen.  The  rest  of  the  day  I  spent 
reading  and  talking  with  Yusif  and  Lozy.  In  the  evening 
Sidaros,  Shewaz,  Kaddis,  and  a  young  man  from  Kus  came  to 
the  boat  and  I  read  i  Kings  18,  and  talked  from  Romans  i  :  16. 
Books  were  sold  in  the  evening  for  607  piastres." 

"  November  10.  Aswan.  Only  two  persons  called  and 
remained  for  prayers  to-day." 

"November  12.  Yesterday  morning  (Sabbath)  five  or 
six  Copts  came  to  the  boat  and  spent  an  hour  or  so  asking 
questions  on  the  points  of  difference  between  their  Church  and 
ours.  It  was  a  favorable  opportunity  of  presenting  some  scrip- 
tural proofs  of  our  doctrines.  I  wished  to  preach  a  sermon  and 
pray  with  them,  but  they  suggested  new  questions  until  a 
steamer  arrived  and  they  had  to  leave  at  once.  I  sent  the 
*  Kus  Gleaner '  to  Khalil,  the  overseer's  scribe,  and  a  Bible  to 
Ghaly.  There  was  not  much  chance  to  sow  seed  in  this  town, 
but  we  pray  that  the  little  that  has  been  sown  may  be  blessed 
for  good  to  some  souls." 

"  November  16,  Erment  Factory.  We  arrived  here  this 
morning  and  were  soon  visited  by  Mr.  Garas  and  Mr.  Buktor. 
Letters  from  Rev.  Messrs.  Watson  and  Ewing  and  Mrs,  Gif- 
fen  were  received.     After  dinner  I  went  to  the  divan  and  spent 


322  The  American  Mission 

until  sunset  talking  and  arguing  with  the  scribes.  We  then 
went  to  the  house  of  Garas  for  supper.  About  forty  assembled 
and  I  preached  to  them  from  Romans  i  :  i6.  Before  sunset 
several  Muslims  called  on  us  in  the  boat.  I  have  been  talking 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  since  we  arrived.  Held  a  meeting 
to-night — subject,  the  marriage  feast,  Matthew  22  : 1-14. 
Present,  about  sixty,  and  generally  very  attentive.  Among 
the  hearers  were  some  Muslims.  The  kadi  called  again  to-day 
and  took  us  to  the  garden." 

"  November   19.     Yesterday  we  met  in  's  house, 

and  I  preached  from  Isaiah  53:7.  After  the  service  I  received 
Elias  to  church  fellowship  on  the  profession  of  his  faith.  Be- 
fore dispensing  the  Lord's  Supper,  I  explained  what  is  not  the 
design  and  then  what  is  the  design  of  the  Supper.  The  day 
was  a  busy  one,  and  I  hope  a  profitable  one  to  myself  and 
hearers." 

"  November  20.  Called  upon  the  mufettish,*  who  was  in 
company  with  the  governor  and  a  bey.  After  talking  on  gen- 
eral matters,  the  ruins,  temples,  etc.,  the  subject  of  religion 
was  touched  upon.  What  is  Protestantism  ?  Was  Jesus  really 
crucified  ?  Will  He  come  again  .?  The  conversation  was  with- 
out any  heat  or  bitterness,  while  each  party  stated  his  belief 
and  the  other  dissented  or  assented.  The  mufettish  said  he 
believed  Christ  would  come  again.  I  told  them  yes,  and  the  im- 
portant matter  for  us  was  to  be  his  friends  then,  so  that  we 
might  be  on  his  right  hand.  My  text  to-night  was  James  5  :  19, 
20.  The  number  present  was  two  less  than  last  night.  After 
meeting,  a  number  of  persons  came  down  to  the  boat  and  talked 
with  us." 

"  November  21.  Maris.  We  came  here  this  morning  and 
went  up  to  Malati's  house,  where  I  spent  several  hours 
talking  with  them.  I  went  back  three  hours  before  sunset  and 
read  and  explained  to  them  Hebrews  2,  3  and  4  chapters  and 
after  that  made  an  address  on  the  new  birth." 

"  November  24.  Luxor.  Preached  A.  M.  on  Romans  10: 
9,  10;  P.  M.,  from  Acts  10:43,  and  in  the  evening  from  John 
3 :  14.  At  the  afternoon  service  1  received  on  profession  of 
•  Inspector. 


IN  Egypt. 


323 


their  faith  Tadros  Girgis,  Malati,  Abd  el  Malak,  Mahrus,  Musa 
and  Mankarius  Shahata.  My  wife  and  Lulu  have  been  suffer- 
ing for  some  days  from  sore  eyes." 

"  November  26.  Yesterday  A.  M.  I  preached  and  dis- 
pensed the  Sacrament  to  eleven  men  and  nine  women.  There 
were  present  about  forty  men  and  fifteen  women.  This  morn- 
ing we  went  over  to  Karnak,  and  I  preached  from  i  John  i  :  6, 
and  dispensed  the  Sacrament  to  eight  men  and  ten  women.  I 
was  very  much  annoyed  by  the  noise  of  the  chickens,  dogs  and 
turkeys.  I  could  not  get  my  mind  fixed  on  a  text  until  I  com- 
menced the  service,  when  i  John  i  :  i  came  to  my  mind.  1 
talked  to  the  women  after  the  meeting  and  left  for  the  boat  after 
sunset.  As  we  were  passing  the  two  stations,  two  of  the 
brethren  started  the  thirty-fourth  Psalm,  and  Mennon  became 
vocal  with  a  Psalm  of  David." 

**  November  28.  Luxor.  This  morning  the  brethren  met 
on  the  boat  and  agreed  that  Makhiel  act  as  elder  and  that  Gior- 
gios  be  his  alternate.  They  subscribed  ^41  towards  buying 
land  tor  a  church." 

"  December  3.  Kus.  Yesterday  I  preached  from  John  i  : 
17  in  the  morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  from  Romans  5  :6-io. 
I  spent  the  interval  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Bashara  Nakhleh  with 
several  of  the  brethren.  After  tea  to-day  I  crossed  the  river 
and  spent  an  hour  with  Santaos  Malati  and  Makhiel  at  Nakada." 

From  this  date  until  February  5,  1878,  Mr.  Harvey  gave 
all  his  time  to  Kus  and  Nakada,  conducting  services  and  visiting 
the  people,  except  during  ten  days  or  more  when  he  was  laid 
aside  by  ophthalmia.  Mrs.  Harvey  and  Lulu  were  ill  part  of 
the  time.  On  February  5,  1878,  he  started  with  camels  for 
Kosair,  on  the  Red  Sea.     I  again  quote  from  his  journal : 

"  At  five  o'clock  Arabic  time  (9:30  A.  M.)  1  left  Kus,  tak- 
ing with  me  the  sailor  Mahmud.  I  mounted  a  camel  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life  and  tried  reclining  on  it,  but  could  not  re- 
tain my  position  very  long  at  a  time.  For  three  hours  the  road 
lay  across  the  fields;  after  that  we  entered  the  desert,  on  the 
edge  of  which  we  met  a  company  of  camels  returning  from 
Kosair.  We  rode  on  through  a  wide  valley  with  scarcely  a 
single  object  of  interest  to  arrest  our  attention,  until  3  P.  M., 


324  The  American  Mission 

when  we  arrived  at  Legata.  Here  we  encamped  for  the  night, 
made  a  fire  of  sticks,  and  made  the  tea  and  coffee  for  supper. 
I  was  tired  and  stiff,  and  after  walking  about  for  a  few  minutts 
I  lay  down  and  listened  to  the  talk  of  the  camel  drivers." 

"  February  6.  This  morning  rose  before  sunrise,  took 
breakfast  and  started  at  two  o'clock,  traveled  all  day  through  a 
wild  desert,  with  scarcely  a  sign  of  either  animal  or  vegetable 
life  except  a  few  black  crows.  About  half  an  hour  before  sun- 
set our  cameleers  wanted  to  stop  for  the  night,  but  I  insisted  on 
going  on  to  this  place.  El  Hammamat." 

"  February  7.  Traveled  through  a  narrow  defile  to  El  Sid 
in  four  hours,  where  we  took  breakfast.  Here  is  a  well,  the 
water  of  which  is  pretty  good.  It  seems  to  be  a  cistern  for  rain 
water  that  falls  on  the  rocky  hills  around.  Here  the  hills  come 
together  to  within  a  few  feet  of  each  other,  so  that  the  passage 
is  almost  closed.  The  cameleers  here  baked  bread.  They  put 
flour  on  a  piece  of  leather,  which  by  being  pressed  down  into  the 
ground  forms  a  small  basin  ;  into  this  they  poured  water  and 
put  flour  and  kneaded  it.  In  the  meantime  a  fire  was  kindled 
with  sticks  (sometimes  with  camel  dung),  on  the  heated  ground 
the  cake  was  laid,  and  then  it  was  covered  with  the  red  coals. 
After  being  baked  it  was  broken  into  pieces  and  butter  poured 
over  it,  and  then  it  tasted  pretty  good." 

Mr.  Harvey  reached  Kosair  on  the  8th,  three  hours  before 
sunset.  This  place  is  on  the  Red  Sea,  and  formerly  did  a  large 
business  in  the  pearl  fishing  trade.  Mr.  Harvey  remained  ten 
days,  meeting  every  day,  and  several  times  a  day,  with  the  few 
Copts  who  resided  there.  He  found  several  of  tliem  sla\e- 
holders,  and  got  them  to  promise  in  writing  neither  to  buy  nor 
sell  any  more,  and  also  prevailed  on  some  of  them  to  sign  papers 
emancipating  the  slaves  they  had.  On  the  17th  he  administered 
the  ordinance  of  the  Supper  to  five  persons,  perhaps  the  first 
time  it  was  ever  administered  in  that  town  ;  at  least  it  was  the 
first  time  for  many  centuries.  Just  before  leaving  the  town,  on 
February  19,  Basilius  handed  Mr.  Harvey  a  package  containing 
his  tithes,  saying  that  it  could  be  used  for  any  purpose  he  thought 
fit.     Mr.  Harvey  reached  the  "  Ibis"  on  February  21. 

Mr,  Giffen  also  visited  Kosair  six  months  later,  and  from 
his  notes  we  quote  the  following: 


IN  Egypt. 


325 


"  The  special  purpose  of  our  journey  was  not  so  much  to 
sow  the  seed  as  to  gatlier  the  sheaves.  At  the  time  of  the 
wheat  harvest  at  home  the  little  church  of  Kosair,  which  Brother 
Harvey  organized  with  prayer  and  fasting  the  winter  before, 
sent  an  urgent  request  that  some  one  be  sent  to  administer  the 
Lord's  Supper  to  them,  and  formally  write  down  on  the  church's 
book  the  names  additional  to  the  four  already  there  of  those 
who  believed  themselves  *  of  such  as  should  be  saved.'  Accord- 
ingly, Rev.  G.  Rafael,  pastor  of  the  church  at  Melawi,  and  1, 
being  appointed  to  the  service,  set  out  from  Asyut  in  the  '  Ibis  ' 
July  9." 

After  describing  the  principal  events  of  their  journey  from 
Asyut  to  Esna  and  back  to  Kus,  Mr.  Giffen  writes  as  follows  of 
their  visit  to  Kosair : 

"  Tuesday  morning  we  began  the  long  camel-ride  across 
the  desert  from  the  Nile  to  the  Red  Sea.  Kosair  was  reached 
after  four  wearisome  days  of  travel.  But  it  was  refreshing  to 
see  the  little  band  of  brethren  there  dwelling  together  in  unity. 
They  seem  to  have  few  of  the  cares  of  this  world — being  in  a 
manner  cut  off  from  it — living  eighty  miles  from  either  green 
field  or  crowded  city.  Every  evening  at  half  an  hour  before 
sunset  they  gather  together  for  conference  and  prayer.  They 
then  go  to  their  homes  for  their  evening  and  principal  meal,  and 
reassemble  to  memorize  Fsalms  and  learn  to  sing  them,  read 
Scripture  and  talk  over  it.  On  our  second  Sabbath  there  one 
man  and  six  women  were  added  to  the  four  men  received  into 
the  church  by  Brother  Harvey  six  months  before,  making  eleven 
members  besides  the  blind  Areef  in  that  little  church  in  the  wil- 
derness. On  our  return  to  Kus,  two  more  belonging  to  the 
Kosair  families  also  professed  their  faith.  They  were  only 
temporarily  at  Kus,  and  their  membership  is  to  be  counted  with 
the  eleven  already  mentioned  at  Kosair." 

Mr.  Harvey  returned  to  the  South  on  the  "  Ibis  "  in  1878- 
79,  and  found  during  this  visit  the  doctrine  of  the  Plymouth 
Brethren  disturbing  the  thoughts  of  the  Protestants,  and  much 
of  his  time  was  taken  up  discussing  the  questions  pertaining  to 
the  Church  and  its  offices,  the  second  coming,  the  dispensing  of 
the  sacraments,  and  the  mode  of  worship,  etc. 


326  The  American  Mission 

new  pastorates.* 

New  pastorates  were  established  during  the  period  as  fol- 
lows: At  Sinoris,  February  13,  1876;  at  Asyut,  October  17, 
1879;  at  Abnub  and  Masarah,  October  17,  1879;  and  at  Me- 
lawi,  April  26,  1876. 

NEW  ORGANIZATIONS. 

New  organizations  were  made  as  follows:     In  Jawily,  Jan- 
uary 23,  1879;  ii^  Bagore,  December  28,  1879;  in  Suft,  Novem- 
ber 23,  1879. 
*  See  chapter  on  pastorates. 


Oiruis  Bey  Harsuin. 


IN  Egypt.  327 


CHAPTER  XX. 

January  i,  1875,  to  January  i,  1880.    Finished. 

Appointment  of  secular  head  of  Protestant  sect — Intolerance  and  persecution 
— Opposition  of  government  and  refusal  to  '^rant  permission  to  erect  churches  in 
Kus  and  Mutiah — Cruel  treatment  of  Protestants  in  Naga'da — No  redress — Dr. 
Hogg  in  England — Secures  the  aid  of  the  EvangelicaJ  Alliance — Successful  issue 
of  the  cases  of  Mutiah  and  Kus — Failure  of  Nagada  case — The  Khedive  Ishmael 
and  his  deposition  and  departure — Accession  of  Muhammad  Tawfik. 

According  to  the  laws  of  the  land,  the  different  religious 
sects  enjoy  the  privilege  of  performing,  through  their  own  or- 
ganizations, certain  acts  in  other  countries  performed  by  the 
civil  authorities,  such  as  appointing  guardians,  administering 
estates,  legalizing  marriages,  and  granting  divorces,  etc. 
Though  the  Protestant  sect  in  the  Turkish  empire  was  ac- 
knowledged by  firman  from  the  Sultan  Abd  el-Magid  as  possess- 
ing equal  rights  with  other  sects,  these  rights  were  never  for- 
mally recognized  in  Egypt  until  about  the  year  1878,  and  many 
annoyances  in  consequence  resulted.  After  years  of  earnest 
negotiation,  the  acknowledgment  was  formally  made,  and  the 
native  churches  were  called  upon  to  elect  a  man  to  represent 
them  in  all  matters  connected  with  the  government,  and  in 
matters  known  in  the  courts  as  matters  of  "personal  status." 
The  vote  resulted  in  the  election  of  Girgis  Bey  Barsum,  of 
Suft  Meidum,  and  he  was  formally  recognized  by  the  Egyptian 
government  by  decree  of  his  highness  the  Khedive  Ishmael, 
under  the  date  of  June  4,  1878.  The  Hon.  E.  E,  Farman  used 
his  best  offices,  given  cheerfully,  to  secure  the  result,  for  which 
the  missionaries  were  deeply  grateful. 

intolerance  and  persecution,  and  their  results. 

Though  open  opposition  and  persecution  on  the  part  of  the 
Egyptian  government  ceased  some  time  before,  yet  it  was  well 


328  The  American  Mission 

known,  not  only  to  government  oificials,  but  to  Muslims  in  gen- 
eral, and  to  the  Copts  and  Catholics  also,  that  the  Khedive 
was  greatly  pleased  at  any  lawful  means  being  used  to  prevent 
the  spread  of  Protestant  principles  in  his  dominions.  The  local 
government  officials,  with  their  natural  Muhammadan  antipathy 
to  an  active  Christianity,  and  urged  on,  too,  by  the  Coptic 
scribes  in  the  various  departments  of  public  service,  were  very 
slow  in  according  to  native  Protestants  the  same  rights  they 
would  have  enjoyed  if  they  had  remained  in  the  Coptic  church. 
hi  nothing  was  the  secret  opposition  of  the  government  carried 
out  more  continuously  and  determinedly  than  in  the  matter  of 
petitions  from  the  nati\'e  Protestants  to  the  government  for 
permission  to  build  places  of  worship.  As  has  already  been 
said,  it  is  the  law  of  the  country  that  no  place  of  worship  can 
be  built  without  government  license.  The  general  antipathy 
of  the  Muslims  to  any  evidence  of  the  extension  or  progress  of 
Christianity,  and  the  special  enmity  towards  Protestantism, 
have  been  the  cause  of  the  persistent  and  manifest  determina- 
tion of  the  government  to  give  no  such  license  to  Protestants  if 
any  possible  reason  could  be  adduced  to  refuse  it.  The  very 
form  of  questions  asked  by  the  department  of  the  interior  of 
the  authorities  in  the  place  in  which  it  was  desired  to  have  a 
place  of  worship  erected,  often  showed  that  objections  to  the 
petition  were  expected  to  be  made.  For  a  considerable  time  in 
many  cases  the  opposition  proved  very  injurious  to  the  cause 
of  true  religion,  and  was  very  discouraging  to  the  workers. 
At  no  period  in  the  history  of  the  mission  was  the  opposition  so 
obstinate  and  so  long  continued  as  during  the  period  of  which 
we  are  now  writing,  in  the  cases  of  Mutiah  and  Kus.  In 
1871-72  the  congregation  of  Mutiah  presented  a  petition  to  the 
Khedive  for  license  to  build  a  church.  Exception  was  taken  to 
one  site  after  another — four  different  sites  having  been  selected 
and  all  rejected — so  that  the  brethren  almost  lost  hope,  during 
these  five  years,  of  ever  securing  the  approval  of  the  govern- 
ment to  any  site,  for  they  at  last  prayed  the  government  to 
appoint  a  person  to  select  any  site  within  the  precincts  of  the 
town  and  they  would  accept  it.  Up  to  the  end  of  1876  they  were 
still  worshiping  in  a  private  house.     The  Protestants  of  Kus 


Tlie   Khedive  Islimael. 


IN  Egypt.  329 

had  been  accustomed  for  seven  years  to  meet  in  the  house  of 
one  of  the  members  for  religious  worship,  and  in  the  meantime 
had  purchased  a  lot  in  the  midst  of  the  town,  and  commenced 
to  erect  thereon  rooms  for  a  school  in  which  they  hoped  to  meet 
for  worship  until  such  time  as  they  would  be  able  to  build  a 
church.  In  consequence  of  accusations  made  to  the  governor 
of  the  province  by  the  Copts,  that  the  Protestants  were  build- 
ing a  church  under  the  pretense  of  building  school-rooms,  the 
work  on  the  building  was  stopped,  and  subsequently,  as  we 
have  seen,  the  brethren  were  interdicted  from  meeting  together 
in  any  of  their  houses  for  divine  worship,  and  for  a  long  time 
they  were  thus  denied  the  right  of  worshiping  God  as  a  con- 
gregation of  his  people.  This  was  subsequent  to  the  attempt 
to  banish  the  leaders  to  the  White  Nile. 

The  Copts,  seeing  how  the  government  treated  the  Prot- 
estants, were  emboldened  to  resent  the  entrance  of  any  Prot- 
estant agents  into  the  towns  were  the  power  lay  in  their  hands. 
Nagada,  opposite  Kus,  being  inhabitated  largely  by  Copts,  had 
over  it  a  Coptic  sheikh,  who  ruled  the  town  with  a  rod  of  iron. 
He  forbade  the  Protestants  of  Kus  from  selling  their  wares  in 
Nagada  on  the  market  day,  and  from  lodging  over  the  night  in 
the  town,  lest  they  might  spread  their  principles  among  the  un- 
suspecting people.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  bastinado  in  a 
brutal  manner  two  Protestants  who  were  returning  from  the 
house  of  a  friend.  One  of  them  was  so  cruelly  beaten  that  he 
died  of  his  injuries  after  a  few  weeks. 

These  grievances  were  repeatedly  brought  to  the  notice  of 
the  Egyptian  government  at  various  times  by  the  American 
agent  and  consul-general,  all  to  no  purpose.  The  correspond- 
ence connected  with  them  in  various  languages,  and  the  trans- 
lation of  lengthy  documents  entailed  a  heavy  amount  of  work 
and  worry  on  the  older  missionaries  at  Asyut  and  Cairo,  so 
that  they  were  often  on  the  point  of  breaking  down.  Dr. 
Hogg,  being  at  home  in  Great  Britain,  in  1876,  brought  these 
matters  before  the  notice  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  earnestly 
appealing  to  the  members  of  the  council  for  their  interposition 
in  order  to  obtain  redress  for  the  wrongs  complained  of.  A  me- 
morial, embodying  the  facts  already  mentioned  and  signed  by 


330  TflE   AMERICAN  MISSION 

several  noblemen  and  members  of  the  council  of  the  Alli.ince, 
was  forwarded  in  December,  1876,  to  his  highness  the  Khedi\  e 
of  Egypt,  u  ith  a  request  that  the  grievances  might  be  inquired 
into  and  full  protection  obtained  for  the  Protestant  Christians 
throughout  the  wliule  land  of  Egypt.  This  memorial  was 
graciously  received  by  his  highness.  The  facts  were  also  com- 
municated to  the  British  government,  and  its  kind  offices  solic- 
ited, and  in  reply  to  their  solicitations  the  following  letter  was 
received  from  the  Earl  of  Derby  on  the  subject  : 

"  Foreign  office. 
"  Sir — With  reference  to  the  letters  from  tliis  office  of  the 
8th  instant  and  12th  ultimo,  respecting  complaints  which 
have  been  made  of  acts  of  intolerance  committed  against  Prot- 
estants in  upper  Egypt,  I  am  directed  by  the  Earl  of  Derby  to 
transmit  to  you  herewith  a  copy  of  a  report  from  the  British 
consular  agent  at  Kena  to  her  majesty's  agent  and  consul-gen- 
eral at  Cairo,  giving  the  exact  answers  of  the  witnesses  in  this 
matter,  and  1  am  at  the  same  time  to  state  that  Mr.  Visian  w  ill 
be  instructed  to  use  his  good  offices  with  the  Khedi\e  on  behalf 
of  those  persons  to  obtain  the  required  permission  for  them  to 
build  schools  and  chapels,  and  for  the  free  exercise  of  their 
religion. 

"  I  am,  sir, 

"  Your  obedient  humble  servant, 

"  (Signed)  TENDERDEN. 
*'  To  the  secretary  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance." 

Thanks  to  the  indefatigable  efforts  of  the  Hon.  C.  N'ivian^ 
her  British  majesty's  agent  and  consul-general  at  Cairo,  who 
accompanied  the  petition  mentioned  above  with  his  own  energetic 
representations,  two  of  the  cases  were  satisfactorily  settled 
during  the  period  in  question.  After  sunset  June  8th,  1877, 
the  governor  of  Asyut,  under  the  pressure  of  stringent  orders 
from  the  Khedive,  dispatched  a  messenger  to  Mutiah  with 
orders  to  bring  the  sheikhs  of  that  town  to  Asyut  forthw  ith. 
At  midnight  they  appeared  before  his  excellency  the  go\'ernor, 
and  were  told  that  "  they  must  there  and  then  declare  their  will- 
ingness to  allow  the  Protestants  to  build  their  church  on  one  of 
the  sites  selected  by  them;  and  after  they  had  made  in  writing 
a  formal  declaration  to  that  effect,  the  kadi,  by  his  orders,  took 
them  to  witness  that  the  site  selected  was  in  every  way  eligible 


IN  EGYPT.  331 

for  the  purpose  intended,  and  no  possible  objection  could  be  nuide 
to  tlie  erection  of  a  Protestant  church  on  that  spot." 

Seven  months  later  a  special  messenger  was  sent  to  Kus  to 
deliver  to  the  Protestants,  free  of  all  expense  or  char^^e,  a  plot 
of  ground  for  schools  and  church.  It  appeared  that  Brother 
Harvey  was  there  at  the  time,  and  therefore  I  quote  from  his 
diary,  which  he  has  kindly  put  into  my  hands : 

"  'Ibis,'  January  4,  1878.  On  the  2d  a  messenger  came 
from  Kus  to  inform  me  that  tiie  deputy  governor  had  come  to 
give  the  plot  of  ground  to  the  Protestants.  When  I  reached 
there  to-day  I  found  the  brethren  sitting  in  consultation,  the 
deputy  governor  having  told  them  to  select  a  plot  of  ground  and 
point  it  out  to  him.  After  looking  at  a  lot,  it  was  agreed  that 
we  ask  1,500  daras*  of  it.  Fam,  Bashara  and  I  then  went  to 
the  divan,  where  the  deputy  was,  also  the  Muslim  sheikh,  kadi, 
dallal,  surveyor  and  the  chief  priest  of  the  copts  ;  all  of  whom 
accompanied  us  to  the  plot  of  ground  which  we  had  selected. 
The  deputy  then  asked  how  much  we  wanted,  to  which  Fam 
replied  1,500  daras.  The  deputy  then  asked  where  he  would 
get  money  to  build  so  much.  Fam  said,  '  We  will  beg  it  from 
Asyut  and  Cairo.'  The  land  was  then  measured  off  thirty  by 
fifty  daras.  The  deputy  then  asked  the  parties  present  if  the 
land  belonged  to  the  government,  to  which  they  replied,  *  Yes,' 
but  that  it  was  near  their  houses  and  their  mosques.  To  this 
the  deputy  answered,  '  I  do  not  ask  you  if  it  is  far  from  or  near 
to  your  houses ;  I  only  ask  you,  does  the  land  belong  to  the 
government  ? '  He  tlien  addressed  them,  saying,  '  I  now  state 
in  your  presence  that  his  highness  the  Khedive  has  graciously 
given  this  plot  of  ground  to  the  Protestants  of  Kus,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  a  church  thereon.'  We  then  went  to  the  divan, 
and  the  deputy  gave  orders  to  the  scribe  to  write  out  the  proper 
papers  and  have  them  signed  by  the  leading  men.  Some  delay 
took  place  in  tiie  writing  of  the  paper,  but  when  a  copy  had 
been  prepared  by  the  scribe  it  was  shown  to  the  deputy,  who 
altered  it  to  suit  himself.  While  this  was  going  on,  the  kummus 
of  the  Coptic  church  made  an  objection  to  saying  in  the  paper 
that  the  land  was  bounded  by  government  lands,  averring  tiiat 

•  Cubits. 


332  The  American  Mission 

a  Copt  owned  land  on  one  side  of  it.  In  order  to  set  aside  his 
objection,  the  judge  and  others  went  with  the  brethren  and  had 
it  measured,  when  it  was  found  tiiat  there  were  seventeen  daras 
between  the  boundary  of  the  lot  and  the  land  of  the  Copt.  The 
Muslims  in  their  turn  tried  to  hinder  the  matter,  saying,  '  The 
land  is  near  an  old  tomb  of  a  noted  sheikh.'  To  this  the  deputy 
replied,  '  Is  not  the  sheikh  dead?  What  harm  w  ill  a  church  do 
him?  Isn't  it  better  to  have  a  church  than  a  grog  shop?  Is  it 
not  better  to  have  a  church  there  than  have  it  as  now,  a  dung- 
hill for  dogs?  What  is  the  difference  between  you?  Does  not 
the  one  say  Kerulason,*  and  the  other  Ya  Rub? '  t  He  set  aside 
all  their  objections  better  than  I  could.  When  they  saw  that 
the  matter  was  to  be  finished  in  spite  of  them,  they  said  they 
did  not  care  how  many  churches  were  built.  I  sat  by  the 
deputy  all  day,  until  the  papers  were  written  and  signed.  We 
then  went  to  the  school  room  and  read  the  i  i6th  Psalm  and 
offered  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving  for  this  triumphant  issue  of  the 
case." 

The  manner  in  which  these  two  cases  were  finished  fur- 
nishes two  specimens  of  how  Ishmael  the  Khedive  carried  out  his 
pleasure  when  he  ruled  Egypt.  What  he  wanted  done  was 
done,  no  matter  what  objections  were  offered,  no  matter  whether 
the  objections  were  real  or  imaginary.  The  third  case,  that  of 
the  bastinadoing  of  the  men  in  Nagada  so  that  one  of  them  died 
of  his  wounds,  fell  through,  chiefly  because  it  was  taken  up  as 
a  case  of  murder,  which  in  this  country  cannot  be  proved  by 
any  amount  of  circumstantial  evidence.  The  fact  that  the  man 
lingered  for  three  or  four  weeks  gave  opportunity  for  collecting 
false  evidence  as  to  other  causes  bringing  about  his  death. 
Besides,  no  doctor  would  testify  that  the  bastinadoing  was  the 
real  cause.  The  happy  issue  of  the  two  cases,  however,  pro- 
duced good  results  all  through  the  country,  as  it  gave  evidence 
of  the  increasing  influence  of  Protestantism.  The  influence  on 
the  two  congregations  more  immediately  interested  was  good, 
and  from  that  time  they  took  courage  and  made  plans  for  erect- 
ing places  of  worship,  and  were  more  regular  in  their  endeavor 
to  gather  in  living  stones  for  the  spiritual  temple. 
•  " Lord,  have  mercy."      t  "O!  Lord." 


IN  Egypt.  333 

THE  KHEDIVE  AND  HIS  DEPOSITION. 

It  was  said  by  some  one  that  Said  Pasha  was  the 
patron  saint  of  the  American  Mission.  It  is  true  that  the  mis- 
sion was  established  during  his  rule,  and  he  gave  it  a  place 
which  it  transformed  into  a  home  for  more  than  eleven  years. 
He  also  gave  the  mission  swift  and  full  redress  for  the  injury 
done  to  its  agent  and  representative  in  Asyut.  His  successor^ 
Ishmael,  certainly  never  showed  much  inclination  to  favor  the 
American  Mission  or  its  work.  His  underhanded,  but  no  less 
powerful,  aid  given  to  the  Coptic  hierarchy  in  their  efforts  to 
root  out  every  vestige  of  Protestant  principles,  and  scatter 
the  members  of  the  Protestant  sect,  showed  that  the  work  of 
the  mission  was  at  the  same  time  hated  and  feared  by  him.  It 
not  unfrequently  happens  that  persecutors  of  God's  Gospel  and 
haters  of  the  truth,  and  workers  of  wickedness  in  high  places, 
reap  in  this  world  some  of  the  seed  they  have  sown.  For  a 
long  time,  however,  Ishmael  floated  on  the  top  wave  of  political 
opinion  among  the  western  nations.  The  grand  ovation  which 
he  prepared  with  such  lavish  magnificence  for  those  dignitaries 
and  others  who  came  east  to  witness  the  inauguration  of  the 
Suez  Canal  had  been  the  means  of  spreading  his  fame  all 
through  the  world,  and  giving  him  a  name  for  energy  and  gen- 
erosity, and  kingly  opulence,  that  nothing  could  efface,  not- 
withstanding that  the  canal  was  dug  and  the  provisions  for  cele- 
brating its  opening  and  entertaining  the  tens  of  thousands  of 
guests  were  made  at  the  expense  of  the  lives  of  many 
thousands  of  peasants,  and  the  unpaid  labor  of  tens  of  thous- 
ands, I  might  say  hundreds  of  thousands,  of  others.  It  was 
the  Egyptian  fellah  who  dug  the  canal,  and  furnished  the  beef, 
the  mutton,  the  eggs,  the  butter,  the  fowls,  the  vegetables,  the 
fruits,  the  sugar,  and  nearly  everything  else  which  served  to 
please  and  satisfy  the  crowd  on  that  occasion.  One  would 
have  thought  that  the  correspondents  who  described  the  occa- 
sion would  have  said  not  only,  What  a  generous  host !  but  also, 
What  a  successful  despot !  What  he  did  on  that  occasion  was 
only  what  he  had  been  doing  through  all  his  reign,  oppressing 
others  to  enrich  himself,  or  give  himself  renown.     Ishmael 


334  The  American  Mission 

Pasha  never  did  anything  with  the  intention  of  benefiting  his 
people.  True,  they  might  have  been  benefited,  but  he  intended 
it  not,  for  self  was  the  only  person  he  thought  of.  He  built 
palaces,  laid  out  gardens,  extended  railways,  made  fine  har- 
bors, but  it  was  all  for  self-interest  or  self-glory.  In  doing  so 
he  made  large  loans  and  raised  the  indebtedness  of  the  country 
from  a  few  millions  to  about  ^108,000,000,  the  interest  of 
which  he  was  unable  at  last  to  meet.  The  English  and  French 
governments  pressed  him  for  payment  of  his  debts.  They 
told  him  the  country  was  able  to  pay  it  if  extravagance  was 
prevented,  and  then  succeeded  in  inducing  him  to  give  two 
positions  in  his  cabinet,  one  to  an  Englishman  and  another  to  a 
Frenchman.  These  men  put  the  Khedive  on  a  fixed  salary 
allowance,  got  him  to  give  up  a  large  amount  of  the  lands  he 
had  stolen  from  the  people,  and  attempted  to  restrain  him  from 
despotic  acts.  These  things  he  endured  for  a  short  time, 
though  he  was  all  the  while  scheming  and  concocting  a  plan  by 
which  he  could  get  back  his  liberty.  During  the  winter  of 
1878-79  he  fomented  discontent  among  the  fanatical  Muslims, 
who  naturally  hated  to  see  even  nominal  Christians  among  the 
high  functionaries  of  the  state.  He  found  a  ready  field  for  his 
devices  among  parties  who  had  been  removed  from  office  for 
incapacity  or  rascality,  among  officers  and  soldiers  of  the 
army  on  account  of  their  dismissal  from  the  service  for 
economy  while  twenty  months'  back  pay  was  due  to  them. 
On  asking  for  their  pay,  the  Khedive  would  say.  Ask  the 
finance  minister,  the  Englishman,  to  pay  you,  I  am  helpless 
now.  They  were  not  slow  to  take  the  hint,  and  the  officers 
made  a  demonstration  against  the  foreign  ministers.  Petitions 
were  prepared,  at  the  instance  of  the  Khedive  himself,  asking 
him  to  form  a  cabinet  of  natives.  He  called  the  consuls  to- 
gether, showed  them  the  petitions,  deceived  some  of  them,  and 
while  they  were  consulting  together,  he  issued  a  new  decree 
removing  the  foreigners  from  office,  and  appointing  natives,  and 
suspending  the  payment  of  interest  on  the  debt.  From  this 
time  the  European  powers  commenced  pourparleys,  looking  to 
arranging  some  plan  by  which  economy  and  order  might  be  im- 
posed  upon  Egypt  under  Ishmael,  or  his  removal  secured  by 


IN  Egypt.  335 

order  of  the  Sultan,  on  the  plea  of  misgovernment.  These 
negotiations  were  understood  to  be  approaching  a  conclusion 
when  M.  Tricon  was  appointed  as  French  consul-general  in 
Egypt.  "  On  the  night  of  June  25,  1879,  Mr.  Lascelles,  the 
British,  and  M.  Tricon,  the  French,  consuls-general,  made  a  last 
effort  to  induce  Ishmael  to  abdicate  in  favor  of  his  son,  but  Ish- 
mael  had  pinned  his  faith  on  Constantinople,  and  professed  to 
be  able  to  do  nothing  without  the  Porte's  consent.  M.  Tricon, 
loud  and  noisy  as  he  was,  said,  '  But  you  have  acted  twenty 
times  in  defiance  of  the  Sultan.'  It  was  perfectly  true,  but  Ish- 
mael knew  his  man,  and  he  turned  on  his  bully,  '  I  defy  you  to 
name  one  instance,'  said  he,  and  the  fierce  M.  Tricon,  whose 
strong  point  was  not  presence  of  mind,  looked  confounded,  and 
he  was  silent.  Lascelles,  gentlest  and  yet  best  of  consuls- 
general,  tried  in  turn.  '  But  your  highness,  would  it  not  be 
well  to  show  some  independence  of  Constantinople,  since  the 
Porte  may  deceive  you  ?'  Ishmael  had  answered  the  bully  after 
his  kind.  He  replied  to  Lascelles  with  the  quiet  humor  that  he 
knew  would  awaken  a  responsive  echo,  *  Seeing  now,  cher 
monsieur,  that  the  first  use  you  wish  me  to  make  of  my  inde- 
pendence is  to  abdicate  all  power,  I  hardly  see  the  advantage  to 
be  gained.'  "* 

The  26th  of  June  came,  and  at  about  10:30  A,  M.  there  was 
a  curious  little  drama  proceeding  in  the  Abdin  palace.  Upstairs 
was  Ishmael  Pasha,  vigorously  remonstrating  with  a  newspaper 
correspondent,  who  was  trying  to  induce  him  to  abdicate,  to 
escape  deposition,  which  the  correspondent  knew  to  be  immi- 
nent. "  '  I  can  tell  you,'  said  the  little  man,  '  that  no  decision 
has  been  taken.  I  do  not  deny  that  we  are  on  the  cue  of  an 
important  one.  I  have  here,*  and  he  fumbled  with  difficulty  in 
his  pockets,  '  a  telegram  from  Ibrahim  Bey.  Nothing  will  be  de- 
cided till  after  the  imperial  council  at  four  this  afternoon.  If 
you  will  come  to  lunch  we  will  await  the  telegram  together.' 
And  while  this  was  going  on  upstairs,  there  was  much  excite- 
ment below,  for  ministers  and  courtiers  were  busy  examining 
the  envelope  of  a  telegram  inscribed  '  Ishmael  Pasha,  ex-Khedive 
of  Egypt.'  Each  one,  as  he  took  it  up,  dropped  it  like  a  hot 
*  "  Khedives  and  Pashas." 


336  The  American  Mission 

cinder,  and  found  that  he  had  important  business  elsewhere. 
'  Oh,  Khairy  Pasha,'  said  the  master  of  ceremonies  to  the 
keeper  of  the  seals,  *  it  is  clearly  your  business  to  take  this 
telegram  to  his  highness.'  'I?'  said  Khairy  Pasha;  'it  is 
manifestly  a  matter  which  pertains  to  the  ministry,*  and  he 
shuffled  off.  At  last  came  Cherif,  a  bluff,  blunt  old  man,  with 
no  great  intelligence  indeed,  but  caring  as  little  for  Khedives  as 
for  commissions  of  inquiry.  With  a  little  hesitation,  he  took 
the  telegram  and  entered  the  room  as  the  correspondent  left. 
Ishmael's  face  changed,  I  am  told,  very  slightly  as  he  read  it. 
The  two  eyes  closed  for  a  moment,  then  he  opened  them  and 
repeated,  *  You  will  obey  his  august  majesty  the  Sultan  by  re- 
signing the  khediviate  into  the  hands  of  Muhammad  Tawfik, 
Khedive  of  Egypt.'  He  then  folded  up  the  telegram  very  care- 
fully and  placed  it  on  the  table  by  his  side.  '  Send  for  his 
highness  Tawfik  Pasha  at  once,'  was  all  he  said,  and  he  sat  still 
and  waited.  Meanwhile,  at  the  Ishmaelia  palace,  where  Tawfik 
lived  in  quiet  obscurity,  another  telegram  had  arrived,  addressed 
'  Muhammad  Tawfik,  Khedive  of  Egypt.'  To  be  sure  there  was 
no  hesitation  in  delivering  this  telegram ;  it  had  been  brought 
full  pelt  from  the  office,  and  the  competition  had  been  as  to  who 
should  present  it.  So  it  happened  that  Tawfik  had  got  the  news 
a  little  before  his  father.  When  Cherif  came  with  his  message 
the  carriage  was  already  at  the  door,  and  the  two  started  to- 
gether for  Abdin  Palace.  On  the  way,  Tawfik  showed  to 
Cherif  in  silence  the  telegram  he  had  received.  'Your  High- 
ness will  take  measures  to  have  yourself  proclaimed  Khedive  of 
Egypt  at  the  citadel  this  afternoon,'  said  Cherif.  He  returned 
the  telegram,  and  with  unbroken  silence  they  arrived  at  the 
palace.  '  How  will  he  be  received? '  was  the  question.  Terri- 
ble were  the  hints  as  to  Ishmael's  vengeance  against  the  son 
that  he  already  loathed.  Ishmael  was  waiting  in  the  long  north 
room  of  the  palace,  seated  moodily  at  the  farthest  end  from  the 
door.  As  the  door  opened  he  arose,  walked  across  to  meet, 
raised  Tawfik's  hand  to  his  lips,  and  said,  '  I  salute  my  effen- 
dina.'  Then  placing  his  two  hands  on  his  shoulders,  he  kissed 
him  on  both  cheeks,  with  the  words,  '  that  hv  may  be  more 
successful  than  his  father,'  and  without  another  word  he  crossed 


w 


TiR-   Kliedive-'lVwfik   Pasha. 


IN   EGYPT.  337 

from  the  room  to  the  harim,  and  Tawfik  I,  Khedive  of  Egypt, 
stood  alone."* 

During  the  following  three  days  the  ex-khedive  was  making 
his  preparations  for  leaving,  and  on  Monday,  the  30th  of  June, 
1879,  the  departure  took  place.  Carriages  with  his  wailing 
harim,  all  the  way  from  the  palace,  drove  to  the  station. 
Soldiers  were  drawn  up  on  the  square,  and  arranged  in  a  long 
line  on  either  side  of  the  road  from  the  gate  of  the  door  of  the 
palace.  The  band  played  some  air  which  could  scarcely  be 
heard  for  the  loud  wailing  of  the  harim  and  servants,  who  had 
been  sharers  in  his  luxury,  as  they  now  saw  their  generous 
lord  and  lavish  benefactor  driven  away  from  the  country.  No 
one  who  knew  Ishmael  and  was  not  one  of  his  special  favorites 
doubted  that  day  that  there  is  a  God  of  righteousness  who  rules 
the  world,  and  that  what  a  "  man  sows  that  will  he  also  reap." 
Thus  ended  the  rule  of  one  who  despised,  oppressed,  and  plun- 
dered his  people,  who  lived  a  life  of  regal  magnificence  and  un- 
bounded lust,  and  who  had  many  an  innocent  person  imprisoned, 
bastinadoed,  banished,  or  thrown  into  the  Nile.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  wailing  of  the  harim  and  the  regret  of  those  who  enjoyed 
his  favors,  Egypt  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief  on  that  Monday 
morning. 
*  "  Khedives  and  Pashas." 


338  The  American  Mission 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
From  January  i,  1880,  to  January  i,  1885. 

Comparative  statistics — Location  of  missionaries — New  missionaries — Death 
of  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Giffen— Unsettled  state  of  the  government — Exciting  times  in 
Cairo — Massacre  and  pillage  in  Alexandria — Stampede  of  foreigners— Missiona- 
,ries  leave  Cairo  and  go  on  board  U.  S.  frigate — All  leave  the  country  except  Dr. 
Ewing  and  the  writer — Bombardment  of  Alexandria — Burning  of  part  of  the  city 
— Gathering  of  British  troops— Sudden  change  of  base — Entrance  into  the  canal- 
Writer  ill  and  leaves  for  Italy — Returns  by  first  boat — British  troops  victorious, 
enter  Cairo — Grand  review— Joy  of  non-Muslims — Writer  visits  the  mission 
stations  on  "  Ibis" — Visit  of  commissioners — Spread  of  Plymouthism — Removal 
of  two  pastors — Nile  work  by  Drs.  Lansing  and  Hogg — Deaths — New  organiza- 
tions—New pastorates— Movement  among  Muslims— The  cholera  in  1883. 

COMPARATIVE   STATISTICS. 
Ja7i,  /,  1 880.  Period  of  five  years.  Jan.  i,  188  j. 

8  Ordained  missionaries,  10 

o  Other  male  missionaries  (medical),  i 

6  Unmarried  lady  missionaries,  6 

8  Married  lady  missionaries,  11 

6  Ordained  natives,  6 

25  Other  presbyterial  workers,  30 

11  Organized  churches,  19 
985  Church  members,  1,688 

2,083  Average  attendance  Sabbath  morning,         3,114 

$4,726  Church  contributions,  $3,911 

30  Sabbath  schools,  45 

1,575  Sabbath  school  scholars,  2,521 

44  Week  day  schools,  59 

85  Teachers  in  same,  105 

2,218  Pupils  in  same,  5,005 

5  Book  depots,  8 

12  Shopmen  and  colporteurs,  21 
20,720  Volumes  sold,  37,615 
$4,694  Income  from  sales,  $8,385 
$3,225  Tuitions,  etc.,  collected,  $10,916 


IN  Egypt.  339 

MISSIONARY  STAFF. 

Alexandria — Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing,  D.  D.,  and  wife  and  Miss 
Frazier.  Dr.  Ewing  took  a  change  to  America  in  1880-81. 
Rev.  J.  Giffen  took  his  place  three  months,  Dr.  Hogg  three 
months,  and  Mr.  Harvey  the  rest  of  the  time. 

Monsurah — Rev.  A.  M.  Nichol  and  wife  until  they  left  for 
America,  1884,  and  Miss  I.  Strang  until  her  return  to  America 
in  1884. 

Cairo — Rev.  Messrs.  Dr.  Lansing,  Dr.  Watson,  and  W. 
Harvey,  and  their  wives.  Miss  E.  F.  Johnson  till  December 
I,  1881,  and  Misses  Smith  and  Thompson. 

Asyut—Y(.Q.v .  J.  Hogg,  D.  D.,  Rev.  Messrs.  J.  Giffen,  J.  R. 
Alexander,  and  their  wives  and  Miss  M.  J.  McKown. 

Nciv  missionaries  during  this  period — Rev.  J.  Giffen  and 
wife  arrived  in  Egypt  on  September  28,  188 1,  and  were  as- 
signed to  Asyut.  Rev.  T.  J.  Finney  and  wife  arrived  Novem- 
ber 2,  1882,  and  were  assigned  to  Cairo  for  a  time  and  then 
located  in  Monsurah.  Rev.  Chauncey  Murch  and  wife  arrived 
on  October  31,  1883,  were  assigned  to  Cairo  for  a  time,  and 
then  located  in  Luxor.  Dr.  E.  E.  Lansing  and  wife  arrrived  in 
the  spring  of  1884,  and  were  located  in  Asyut.  Miss  E.  O. 
Kyle  arrived  January  18,  1883,  and  was  located  in  Asyut. 
Misses  E.  E.  Newlin  and  H.  M.  Connor  arrived  in  the  autumn 
of  1880,  and  the  former  was  assigned  to  Asyut  and  the  latter  to 
Cairo. 

Death  of  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Giffen.  This  earnest,  able  and 
talented  worker  died  in  Cairo  on  October  16,  1881.  She  came 
out  to  Egypt  as  Miss  M.  E.  Galloway,  the  first  foreign  mission- 
ary of  the  Associate  Reformed  Synod  of  the  South,  and  landed  in 
Egypt  on  March  16,  1875,  i^^  company  with  Rev.  Messrs.  J.  R. 
Alexander  and  J.  Giffen,  new  missionaries  from  our  Church. 
She  was  located  in  Monsurah,  where  she  was  to  study  the  lan- 
guage and  make  herself  as  useful  as  much  as  possible  in  the 
Lord's  work.  In  both  duties  she  was  apt  and  diligent.  On 
June  5,  1876,  she  was  united  in  marriage  with  Rev.  J.  Giffen 
of  Alexandria,  and  was  a  true  helpmeet  in  tiie  house  and  in  the 
Lord's  work  there.     In  1877  she  accompanied  her  husband  to 


340  The  American  Mission 

Asyut,  to  which  he  was  appointed  for  college  and  other  work. 
A  comfortable  house  could  not  be  found  to  rent,  and  they  con- 
tented themselves  with  contracted,  unhealthy  quarters  for 
several  years.  She  gave  valuable  assistance  to  Miss  McKown 
in  the  boarding  school,  and  had  the  care  of  a  small  school  in  her 
own  house,  and  the  oversight  of  another  for  a  time.  She  was 
inclined  to  overtax  her  bodily  strength  in  the  work  of  Christ. 
She  lived  beloved  by  all,  and  died  universally  lamented.  Her 
grave  is  under  the  shadow  of  a  flourishing  acacia  tree  in  the 
American  cemetery  in  Cairo,  and  we  have  no  doubt  her  spirit 
is  ascribing  praise  and  glory  to  the  Lamb  in  the  heavenly  man- 
sions. 

In  looking  back  to  this  period  the  most  conspicuous  events 
concerning  Egypt  were  those  that  led  to  and  embraced  Arabi's 
rebellion.  These  events  affected  all  classes  of  the  people. 
For  a  long  time  before  the  actual  breaking  out  of  the  military 
conspiracy  there  were  rumors  of  differences  between  the  Khe- 
dive and  the  European  powers,  and  whenever  the  head  of  a 
Muslim  state  shows  opposition  to  a  Christian  power  or  Chris- 
tian powers  there  is  always  generated  among  the  people  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  Muhammadan  fanaticism.  The  ignorant  classes 
only  need  a  word  or  a  sign  from  those  in  power  in  order  to 
commence  a  course  of  terrorizing  and  persecution.  For  the 
sake  of  many  who  have  had  no  means  of  knowing  the  causes 
and  developments  of  the  insurrection  in  Egypt,  I  give  below  a 
brief  account  thereof,  for  which  I  am  indebted  to  a  large  extent 
to  the  excellent  work  of  Mr.  Charles  Royle,  called  "  The 
Egyptian  Campaigns,  1882-85,  and  the  Events  which  Led  to 
Them."  I  have  also  made  quotations  from  a  work  called 
"  Khedives  and  Pashas."  Being  in  the  capital  during  the  time 
these  events  were  taking  place,  except  from  the  middle  of  June 
to  the  end  of  September,  I  was  cognizant  of  nearly  all  that 
transpired  at  the  time. 

THE  ARABI  REBELLION  AND  ITS  CAUSES. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  Muhaniniad  Tawfik,  the 
oldest  son  of  Isiimael  Pasha,  succeeded  his  father  by  order  of 


IN   EGYPT.  341 

the  Sultan  on  June  26,  1879.  He  came  to  the  khediviate  in 
trying  times  and  in  difficult  circumstances,  and,  though  possess- 
ing a  kind  heart,  and  unlike  his  father,  had  the  good  of  his  peo- 
ple in  his  mind,  yet  he  was  weak  in  his  character,  inclined 
rather  to  submit  to  adverse  circumstances  than  to  overcome 
them.  His  position,  however,  was  anything  but  an  enviable 
one.  He  found  his  country  groaning  under  a  heavy  debt, 
which  had  been  contracted  by  the  extravagance  and  energy  of 
his  father,  and  the  creditors  grappling  the  throat  of  his  country 
and  demanding  that  interest  should  be  paid  on  their  money. 
An  Englishman  and  a  Frenchman,  as  joint  comptrollers,  watched 
over  the  finances,  dismissed  superfluous  and  inefficient  native 
assistants  and  clerks,  increased  the  number  of  efficient  Euro- 
peans and  kept  the  keys  of  the  treasury,  so  that  lazy  and  use- 
less pashas  and  beys  or  courtiers  might  not  by  some  means 
reduce  its  contents.  No  longer  was  money  being  borrowed 
and  distributed  in  one  way  and  another  among  those  who  less 
than  others  deserved  it;  but  the  time  for  payment  had  come 
and  every  means  was  being  used  to  meet  the  claims  of  the 
creditors.  The  Khedive  was  put  on  an  allowance  as  well  as  the 
other  princes.  The  rich  man  had  to  pay  a  share  of  the  taxes 
as  well  as  the  poor.  The  opportunities  of  bribing  the  officials 
were  much  fewer  than  before.  The  disappointed  harpies,  the 
dismissed  clerks  and  other  employes,  the  rich  land-owners, 
the  bigoted  mosque  party,  all  combined  in  creating  discontent. 
The  officers  in  the  army  had  a  grievance.  The  majority  of  the 
officers  up  to  the  rank  of  colonel  were  of  Egyptian  origin,  while 
the  officers  of  highest  rank  and  holders  of  the  staff  appointments 
were  of  Turkish  or  Circassian  extraction.  The  latter,  as  be- 
longing to  the  same  race  as  the  existing  monarch,  naturally 
constituted  the  dominant  caste.  When  there  was  a  campaign 
in  the  Sudan  or  other  unpleasant  duty  to  be  performed,  the 
Egyptian  officers  were  selected  for  it,  but  when  it  was  a  ques- 
tion of  garrisoning  Alexandria  or  Cairo,  the  Circassians  were 
employed.  Naturally  a  good  deal  of  jealousy  and  ill  feeling 
was  thus  created,  but  as  long  as  the  strong-minded  crafty  Ish- 
mael  was  holding  the  reins,  these  were  suppressed  and  dis- 
cipline maintained  except  when  it  answered  his  own  purpose 


342  THE   AMERICAN   MISSION 

that  it  should  be  otherwise,  as  in  tlie  instance  of  the  mihtary 
demonstration  against  the  European  ministers  with  their  chief, 
Nubar  Pasha. 

With  the  weak  and  inexperienced  Tawfik  it  was  quite  dif- 
ferent.    A  spirit  of   insubordination  developed,    and  the  two 
sects  of  officers  entered  upon  a  struggle  for  the  mastery.     The 
Khedive  Tawfik  had  selected  one  of  the  Egyptian  officers  and 
put  him  in  command  of  his  bodyguard.     In  this  position  he  was 
frequently  called  upon  to  convey  orders  to  Osman  Pasha  Rifki, 
the  minister  of  war.     Osman  was  a  Circassian,  and  felt  hurt  at 
receiving  orders  from  a  fellah  officer,  and  secured  the  removal 
of  Ali  Fehmy,  the  fellah,  who  thereupon  joined  the  party  of 
discontented   officers   and   increased  their   discontent.      Chief 
among  these   were  Abd  el-Al  and  Ahmed  Arabi,  afterwards 
known  as  Arabi  Pasha.     These  were   afterwards  joined   by 
Mahmud   Sami,    a   plotting,   shrewd,   unscrupulous   man.      A 
proposition  having  been  made  for  the  reduction  of  the  army  in 
the  line  of  economy,  petitions  were  prepared,  at  the  instance  of 
the  dissentients,  objecting  to  the  reduction  and  stating  all  their 
grievances,  and  demanding  that  an  Egyptian  should  be  appointed 
minister  of  war.     These  petitions  were  presented  not  only  to 
the  minister  of  war,  but  also  to  the  Khedive.     Osman,  the 
Circassian,  could  not  brook  this,  and  therefore,  at  a  meeting  of 
the  cabinet,  the  three  army  leaders  were  ordered  to  be  arrested, 
and  it  was  reported  that  a  steamer  was  to  be  in  readiness  to- 
take  them  away  to  the  White  Nile.     Mahmud  Sami  warned 
them  of  what  was  going  on,  and  had  it  arranged  that   if  the 
three  officers  did  not  return  to  their  places  at  a  certain  hour, 
their  regiments  were  to  go  to  Kasr  el-Nil  barracks  and  liberate 
them.     It  happened  exactly  as  expected.     The  colonels  were 
brought  before  a  court-martial,  but  before  the  proceedings  were 
ended  a  turbulent  crowd  of  soldiers  appeared  on  the   scene, 
upset  the  tables  and  the  chairs,  ill-treated  the  members  of  the 
court  and  carried  off  their  own  officers  in  triumph.     The  three 
colonels  demanded  of  the  Khedive  the  appointment  of  Mahmud 
Sami  as  minister  of  war,  the  increase  of  the  army  to  18,000, 
and  the  establishment  of  a  new  system  of  promotion.     Having 
no  means  of  resistance,  the  Khedive  yielded. 


IN  EGYPT.  343 

From  that  time  on  the  Circassian  officers  plotted  against 
the  Egyptians,  and  vice  versa.  The  Khedive  got  tired  of  Mah- 
mud  Sami,  and  appointed  his  own  brother-in-law  in  his  stead. 
Soon  after  another  demonstration  was  made,  on  the  9th  of 
September,  1881,  by  the  military,  and  the  demands  were  :  (i) 
The  dismissal  of  the  ministry,  which  had  sold  the  country  to 
the  Europeans.  (2)  A  representative  chamber.  (3)  The 
raising  of  the  army  to  18,000.  In  consequence  of  the  demon- 
stration and  after  much  hesitation,  a  cabinet  was  formed  with 
Cherif  Pasha  as  prime  minister,  and  Mahmud  Sami,  minister 
of  war.  Events  followed  one  another  in  quick  succession. 
Envoys  from  Constantinople  came  and  harrangued  the  troops, 
and  met  with  the  Khedive,  and  with  the  officers,  and  discontent 
increased  throughout  the  country,  caused  largely  by  the  native 
press.  Further  military  insubordination"  took  place.  Arabi 
was  appointed  sub-minister  of  war,  and  not  long  after  the 
Cherif  ministry  fell,  and  Mahmud  Sami  was  asked  to  form  a 
new  one,  in  which  he  made  Arabi  minister  of  war.  Fifty  Cir- 
cassian officers  were  arrested,  among  them  the  former  minister 
of  war,  Osman  Rifki.  They  were  tried  in  secret,  tortured,  and 
sentenced  to  be  banished  to  the  furthest  limits  of  the  Sudan. 
The  Khedive  commuted  the  sentence  to  simple  banishment 
from  Egypt,  and  thus  incurred  the  displeasure  of  Mahmud  Sami, 
who  threatened  that  unless  the  Circassian  officers  were  struck 
off  the  rolls  by  the  Khedive  there  would  be  a  general  massacre 
of  foreigners,  a  premonition  of  what  actually  took  place  in 
Alexandria. 

The  comptrollers,  seeing  their  power  gone  under  this  min- 
istry resigned,  but  the  Englishman  was  requested  by  his  gov- 
ernment to  remain  and  maintain  a  passive  attitude.  Recruiting 
was  actively  carried  on.  Krupp  guns  were  ordered  from 
Europe.  The  Sultan  made  Arabi  a  pasha,  and  played  a  double 
game.  Mahmud  Sami  wanted  to  secure  the  deposition  of  the 
Khedive  and  the  exile  of  all  the  family  of  Muhammad  Ali. 
Ships  of  war  from  England  and  France  arrived  at  Alexandria, 
and  at  this  juncture  the  English  and  French  consuls-general  ad- 
vised the  Khedive  to  seize  the  opportunity  and  dismiss  the 
existing  ministry.     The  Khedive  saw  that  it  was  useless  to  ask 


344  The  American  Mission 

the  ministry  to  resign,  as  Arabi  would  neitlier  resign  nor  leave 
the  country.  On  May  25,  1882,  the  consuls-general  of  France 
and  England  handed  to  Mahmud  Sami,  as  president  of  the  coun- 
cil, an  ultimatum  demanding  three  things  :  i.  The  temporary 
retirement  of  Arabi  Pasha  from  Egypt.  2.  The  retirement 
into  the  interior  of  Ali  Fehmy  and  Abd  el-Al.  3.  The  resig- 
nation of  the  ministry.  The  ministers,  on  the  receipt  of  this 
note,  waited  on  the  Khedive,  and  asked  what  was  to  be  done  ? 
He  replied  that  he  had  already  accepted  its  conditions.  They 
urged  a  reference  to  the  Sultan.  He  replied  that  this  was  a 
matter  of  internal  policy  with  which  the  Sultan  had  nothing  to 
do.  The  ministers  resigned,  and  Cherif  was  called,  but  he  re- 
fused to  form  a  new  cabinet,  while  the  military  assumed  to 
rule  the  country.  On  May  27,  the  officers  of  the  regiments 
and  the  police  in  Alexandria  had  a  secret  meeting  and 
telegraphed  to  the  Khedive  direct  that  they  would  not  accept 
the  resignation  of  Arabi  Pasha,  and  giving  the  Khedive  twelve 
hours  to  reply,  after  which  the  officers  declared  they  would  not 
be  responsible  for  public  security.  On  receipt  of  this  the  Khe- 
dive called  together  the  high  personages  of  state,  of  the  cham- 
ber and  the  merchants.  The  same  day  Arabi  Pasha,  at  the 
head  of  100  officers,  met  the  chief  notables  and  demanded  the 
deposition  of  the  Khedive.  The  officers  only  assented  to  the 
proposition,  but  Sultan  Pasha  warned  the  Khedive  that  his  life 
was  in  danger  unless  he  reinstated  Arabi  in  the  ministry  of  war. 
In  the  afternoon  a  deputation,  consisting  of  the  Coptic  pa- 
triarch, the  chief  rabbi,  the  notables,  and  others  waited  upon 
the  Khedive  and  begged  him  to  reinstate  Arabi,  as  he  had 
threatened  them  all  with  death  unless  this  was  done.  To 
calm  their  fears  and  to  insure  order,  he  consented,  but  excite- 
ment ran  high.  The  wildest  rumors  were  afloat.  When  we 
retired  at  night  we  did  not  know  but  that  the  Khedive  and  his 
little  party  and  the  foreigners  would  be  attacked  before  morn- 
ing. Indeed  a  party  came  to  us  one  night  very  late  and  told  us 
he  knew  from  Arabi's  friends  that  plans  were  laid  to  kill  the 
Khedive  before  morning. 

Affairs  in  Alexandria  were  in  a  very  uncertain  state.     The 
troops  and  the  police  there  were  bitterly  opposed  to  the  for- 


O 

pq 


IN  Egypt.  345 

eigners.  They  learned  that  the  six  ships  of  war  in  the  harbor 
had  not  a  sufficient  number  of  marines  on  board  to  make  even 
a  military  demonstration.  The  presence  of  the  ships  irritated 
them,  and  their  weakness  made  them  despise  them.  Under 
such  circumstances  it  is  only  force,  not  a  show  of  it,  that  does 
any  good.  By  the  end  of  May  the  foreign  residents,  learning 
that  the  fleet  was  utterly  unable  to  defend  them  from  any  up- 
rising that  was  likely  to  occur,  became  thoroughly  alarmed. 
The  English  appealed,  through  their  representative,  begging 
that  means  for  their  protection  might  be  provided  immediately, 
as  they  had  not  even  the  means  of  flight.  In  the  meantime,  at 
the  instance  of  Arabi,  petitions  were  being  signed  in  Cairo  and 
in  all  the  large  towns  for  the  deposition  of  the  Khedive  and  the 
appointment  of  Halim  Pasha.  In  some  cases  that  came  under 
my  notice,  persons  were  waited  upon  In  their  homes  late  in  the 
night  and  compelled  to  sign  these  petitions.  It  was  a  reign  of 
military  terror,  and  no  one  thought  of  refusing  to  do  anything 
asked  of  him.  On  June  7,  Dervish  Pasha,  the  Sultan's  com- 
missioner, arrived  in  Alexandria  and  was  received  with  approp- 
riate honors.  On  his  arrival  at  Cairo  he  was  met  at  the  sta- 
tion, among  others,  by  a  crowd  of  the  lowest  class  of  street 
Arabs,  who  ran  before  his  carriage  half  nude,  praising  Arabi 
and  denouncing  the  Christians.  They  were  hired  for  the 
occasion  by  the  chief  of  police.  The  commissioner,  upon 
his  arrival,  showed  marked  favor  to  the  Arabi  party. 
It  was  arranged  that  all  the  petitions  should  be  presented 
to  him  by  deputations.  Dervish  received  them  and  placed  them 
in  a  pile.  Mahmud  then  presented  his  colleagues.  Dervish 
remained  seated  and  continued  his  conversation  with  Labib 
Effendi,  and  begged  the  latter  to  repeat  to  him  the  story  of  the 
massacre  of  the  mamelukes.  When  it  was  finished  the  com- 
missioner, with  one  of  his  pleasantest  smiles  to  Arabi,  remarked, 
"  The  one  who  escaped  was  a  lucky  dog,"  and  then  dismissed 
them.  But  Mahmud  and  Arabi  had  not  yet  played  their  last 
card.  They  would  yet  teach  Dervish  that  they  were  indispens- 
able. For  a  week  or  more  threats  of  injury  to  the  foreigners  in 
Alexandria  had  been  made  ;  some  even  had  been  warned  to 
take  care  of  themselves  on  the  afternoon  of  the  nth  of  June. 


346  The  American  Mission 

Arabi's  special  agent  arrived  in  Alexandria  on  the  night  of  the 
loth,  and  had  a  secret  interview  with  the  prefect  of  police. 
Large  quantities  of  thick  clubs  were  distributed  amongst  the 
lowest  of  the  fanatical  Muslims  of  Alexandria.  The  forenoon 
of  the  nth  passed  off  without  any  unusual  accident.  Some 
went  to  their  places  of  worship,  others  to  their  business,  others 
to  Sabbath  recreation.  None  of  the  Christians  apparently 
dreamed  what  would  occur  before  the  day  passed. 

Between  two  and  three  in  the  afternoon  loud  shouts  and 
yells  were  heard  rising  from  a  crowd  swarming  up  the  Rue  des 
Soeurs  and  adjacent  streets.     The  cry,  "  Death  to  the  Chris- 
tians !  "  was  the  chief  expression.     The  crowd  rushed  on,  beat- 
ing every  European  met  with.     Many  fled  to  the  police  stations, 
only  to  be  butchered  there.     No  policeman  protected  anyone. 
Many  of  them  even  aided  in  the  massacre.     Messengers  had 
been  sent  to  the  various  consuls  for  them  to  meet  at  the  gov- 
ernor's at  a  certain  hour,  as  a  means  of  exposing  them  to  the 
crowd.     Mr.   Cookson,  the   English  consul,  was   stoned  and 
beaten  and  his  carriage  was  overturned.     The  Greek  consul, 
the  Italian  and  the  Russian,  were  all  severely  beaten.     Many 
hundreds  of  people  were  killed,  others  injured  for  life.     Some 
bodies  were  pounded  and  stamped  upon  until  death  ensued. 
While  this  was  going  on,  others  broke  open  the  shops  and 
plundered  them.     Officers  of  the  fleet  and  others  who  happened 
to  be  on  shore  were  beaten,  and  some  of  them  killed.     The 
brutality  of  the  mob  proved  the  truth  of  what  an  Egyptian  once 
said  of  his  countrymen,  "  They  may  have  fear,  but  they  have 
no  shame."     While  this  was  going  on,  troops  to  the  number  of 
7,000  were  at  the  several  stations  in  the  city  and  in  the  bar- 
racks, waiting  for  orders.     The  governor,  about  4  P.  M.,  asked 
the  commandant  to  put  at  his  disposal  a  batallion  of  the  Fifth 
regiment,  but  the  messenger  returned,  saying  the  colonel  re- 
quired an  order  in  writing;  and  they  refused  to  march  without 
orders  from  the  minister  of  war,  plainly  showing  that  the  whole 
affair  was  arranged  by  his  knowledge.     How  many  were  killed, 
and  how  many  were  wounded,  and  how  much  property  was 
stolen  on  that  afternoon,  no  one  will  ever  know,  as  those  in 
power  at  the  time  were  unwilling  to  make  any  serious  investi- 


IN  EGYPT.  347 

gations  of  the  horrible  massacre.  From  that  time  terror  seized 
upon  the  foreigners  in  Alexandria,  and  throughout  the  whole 
valley,  as  the  news  spread,  and  they  fled  to  the  ships  as  quickly 
as  they  could  in  thousands,  and  left  for  other  lands.  The  Mus- 
lims in  other  towns,  hearing  what  their  brethren  had  done  with 
impunity  in  Alexandria,  became  insolent  everywhere,  and  were 
liberal  in  their  threats  of  vengeance  upon  any  foreigner  who 
came  in  their  way. 

In  Cairo  the  stampede  commenced  and  increased  day  by 
day  by  the  increasing  intensity  of  Muslim  hate  that  was  mani- 
fested.    Turks  and  foreigners  crowded  the  trains.     Trunks  and 
boxes  in  great  piles  at  the  Cairo  station  awaited  an  opportunity 
of  shipment  to  Alexandria  or  Ismailia.     The   missionaries  in 
Cairo  were  threatened  in  the  streets,  and  were  informed  pri- 
vately that  they  were  especially  hateful  to  the  Muslims,     The 
Muhammadan  children  ceased  coming  to  school.     Miss  Conner 
was  insulted  in  the  street  as  she  was  returning  from  school. 
On  the  15th  of  June  many  things  and  reports  from  various 
quarters  indicated  that  there  might  be  an  outbreak  in  Cairo. 
News  came  from  Alexandria,  too,  from  the  American  frigate, 
that  we  should  not  remain  longer  in  the  interior.     We  had  a 
meeting  together  in  the  mission  house,  and  concluded  to  go 
down  by  the  night  train  and  take  the  ladies  and  children  to  a 
place  of  safety,  Mr.  Harvey  and  1  to  return  and  remain  at  our 
post.     We  all  went  to  the  station  and  I  got  tickets  for  all,  the 
Lansings,  the  Harveys,  the  unmarried  ladies,  and  the  Watsons. 
After  getting  them  all  in  the  train,  I  returned  to  the  mission 
house  to  get  some  papers  and  valuables  and  remained  all  night. 
1  followed  them  next  day.     After  placing  our  families  on  board 
of  the  American  frigate,  and  remaining  with  them  until  Monday, 
the  20th,  Brother  Harvey  and  I  returned  to  Cairo,  intending  to 
stay,  but,  in  a  few  hours,  receiving  an  urgent  telegram  to  hasten 
back,  we  went  down  by  the  night  train  and  went  on  board  the 
"Galena,"  where  our  families  were.     I  slept  nights  on  the 
deck  on  my  shawl,  there  being  no  place  in  the  cabin.     Captain 
Batchellor  was  very  kind,  but  of  course  the  accommodation  was 
very  limited,  and,  however  hospitable  he  might  be,  there  was 
little  ability  to  exercise  it.     A  consultation  was  had  with  the 


348  The  American  Mission 

captain  as  to  the  intentions  of  tlie  powers,  and  what  was  best 
for  the  missionaries  to  do.  He  strongly  advised  them  to  get 
away  to  a  place  of  safety  as  soon  as  possible.  Knowing  that 
the  feeling  prevailing  among  Muslims  was  not  so  much  against 
Christians  as  against  foreigners,  and  that  our  own  people  would 
perhaps  be  safer  without  us,  it  was  decided  that  all  leave  the 
country  except  Dr.  Ewing  and  myself,  and  as  soon  as  any  kind 
of  accommodation  could  be  secured  on  any  steamer,  all  left, 
some  for  England,  some  for  Italy,  and  Brother  Giffen,  v/ith  his 
motherless  children,  for  America.  Dr.  Ewing  and  1  continued 
to  lodge  on  board  the  United  States  frigate  at  night,  and  go 
ashore  in  daytime.  We  attended  services  on  Sabbath,  July  9, 
two  days  before  the  bombardment.  Next  morning  the  ships  in 
the  inner  harbor  commenced  moving  outside  the  breakwater, 
and  by  night  on  Monday,  the  loth  of  July,  all  were  at  anchor 
in  the  open.  Early  next  morning  all  persons  on  board  were  up 
early,  and  on  looking  around  we  saw  the  English  fleet  distributed 
at  various  points  ready  for  action.  Five  o'clock  passed  and 
nothing  was  done  ;  six  o'clock  all  was  quiet ;  six  and  a  half 
and  some  anti-English  persons  on  board  began  to  say  that 
the  admiral  was  afraid  to  open  fire.  "He  is  a  coward,  or 
Gladstone  has  countermanded  the  order."  At  seven  A.  M.  a 
shot  rang  out  from  the  "Alexandra,"  and  all  were  on  the 
qui  vive.  In  a  minute  or  two  the  whole  English  fleet  commen- 
ced to  belch  forth  its  showers  of  shot  and  shell,  and  continued 
nearly  all  day  until  one  fort  after  another  was  silenced  and  two 
magazines  were  blown  up.  It  was  a  grand  sight.  I  watched 
it  from  a  good  position  all  day.  The  second  day  there  was 
some  firing,  but  it  was  evident  that  the  work  was  practically 
done.  During  that  afternoon  and  night  great  flames  and  smoke 
commenced  to  rise  from  the  city,  and  increased  hour  by  hour. 
It  was  said,  "  Arabi  has  carried  out  his  threat;  he  is  burning 
the  city,"  and  so  it  proved.  Marines  were  landed  in  the  eve- 
ning to  put  out  the  flames,  and  protect  the  city  from  being 
looted  any  more. 

On  Friday  our  frigate  returned  to  the  inner  harbor,  and  in 
the  afternoon  Dr.  Ewing  and  I  went  on  shore,  and  found  the 
city  deserted,  dogs  and  men  dead  and  dying,  and  cats  in  the 


IN  Egypt.  349 

windows  mewing  for  something  to  eat.     Now  and  then  we  met 
an  Arab  carrying  a  bit  of  white  cloth  as  a  flag  of  truce.     We 
went  up  to  near  the  square  and  found  that  the  fire  had  destroyed 
nearly  all  the  houses  on  the  square,  and  along  Cherif  Pasha 
street  and  in  the  region  of  the  British  consulate.     The  following 
Sabbath  (i.  e.,  July  16)  we  went  ashore  to  conduct  services, 
but  only  one  or  two  came  and  the  church  was  not  open,  so  we 
told  the  two  to  tell  any  others  they  knew  that  there  would  be 
services  the  following  Sabbath.     A  few  days  afterwards  Dr. 
Ewing  and  I  took  up  our  abode  in  the  mission  house  in  Alexan- 
dria.    Nothing  had  been  injured  in  the  house.     The  bookshop, 
in  another  street,  had  been  opened  and  a  few  of  the  secular 
books  taken,  but  the  Bibles  and  Testaments  and  such  books  as 
Baxter's  Call  to  the  Unconverted  were  untouched  !     We  re- 
mained in  the  city  extending  our  investigations  and  renewing 
our  acquaintances.     It  was  not  easy  getting  proper  food  for 
some  days,  and  after  a  while  Arabi  polluted  the  water  in  the 
canal  and  made  us  take  to  cistern  water.     Often  we  were 
startled  with  noises  and  false  alarms  that  Arabi  was  threaten- 
ing the  city.     He  might  easily  have  overcome  the  handful  of 
marines,  not  more  than  800  all  told  for  some  time.    I  remember 
when  the  first  kilted  regiment  came  and  marched  through  the 
streets  and  was  seen  by  some  Muslims.     One  of  them  said, 
"  Didn't  I  tell  you  the  English  had  no  soldiers.     See,  for  want 
of  men,  they  have  sent  their  women."      Another  remarked  that 
they  were  very  many.    "  Ah  !  brother,"  he  replied,  "  they  are 
marching  round  and  round  to  deceive  us."     I  longed  to  hear 
from  the  native  brethren  in  Cairo.     After  a  few  weeks  some  of 
them  came  to  Alexandria  via  Port  Said  and  reported  all  well, 
and  the  services  continued  as  usual.      Gradually  the  troops 
were  gathering  in  and  about  Alexandria.    There  was  occasional 
skirmishing  in  the  direction  of  Mallaha,  and  once  quite  a  little 
fight,  but,  as  it  turned  out,  nothing  serious  in  the  line  of  fight- 
ing was  intended.     At  last  when  the  soldiers  and  needed  pro- 
visions had  arrived,  it  was  whispered  about  that  a  flank  move- 
ment was  to  be  made  by  a  landing  at  Abu  Kir.      The  day  was 
fixed,  the  troops  were  going  on  board  the  steamers,  and  all  prep- 
arations were  being  made  to  leave  in  the  afternoon,     A  steamer 


350  The  American  Mission 

was  chartered  by  some  parties  to  go  to  Abu  Kir  and  see  the 
bombardment  and  landing.  The  steamers  and  troopships  and 
men  of  war  nearly  all  left  about  five  P.  M.  and  reached  Abu 
Kir  after  dark,  some  of  them  tossed  about  a  while  to  produce  a 
false  alarm,  and  then  steamed  off  to  Port  Said  to  enter  Egypt 
by  the  back  door.  Arabi  had  put  all  confidence  in  Lesseps  that 
he  would  shut  the  canal  against  the  English  fleet,  but  Admiral 
Seymore  cared  nothing  for  Lessep's  objections  and  protests,  but 
calmly  took  possession  of  the  canal,  and  used  its  facilities  for 
furthering  the  end  he  had  in  view. 

In  the  meantime,  my  health  failed  me  and  1  was  ordered 
off  to  Europe.  1  took  passage  to  Naples,  intending  from  there 
to  join  my  family  in  Scotland,  but  on  reaching  southern  Italy 
the  news  of  the  battle  of  Tel  el-Kebir  and  the  occupation  of 
Cairo  by  the  British  army  was  brought  on  board.  On  reach- 
ing Naples  the  first  thing  I  did  was  to  engage  return  passage  to 
Alexandria  by  first  French  steamer,  and  wired  my  wife  in 
Scotland  not  to  expect  me.  Having  a  few  days  in  Naples  be- 
fore the  sailing  of  the  steamer  I  went  by  rail  to  Cassel  Amara 
to  see  Mrs.  Ewing  and  her  son  and  daughter,  and  spend  a  day 
at  the  ruins  of  Pompeii.  Mrs.  Ewing  and  family  accompanied 
me  back  to  Alexandria,  which  we  reached  on  the  morning  of 
September  27.  Next  day  I  started  by  railway  to  Cairo  at  8:30 
A.  M.,  and  on  passing  saw  the  deserted  camp  and  intrench- 
ments  of  Arabi  at  Kafr  Doweir.  On  reaching  the  switch  out- 
side of  the  Cairo  station  our  train  was  stopped  for  a  little  until 
another  train  in  the  station  could  be  got  out  of  the  way.  While 
looking  out  of  the  window  towards  the  station,  there  burst 
forth  a  tremendous  black  cloud  from  the  track  close  by  the 
landing,  then  lurid  flames  of  immense  volume,  and  then  crack 
after  crack.  I  immediately  concluded  there  was  an  explosion 
of  ammunition.  I  waited  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  for  it  to  stop 
but  seeing  no  evidence  of  the  abatement  of  shells  bursting,  1 
got  my  valises  and  handed  them  to  a  porter  who  took  me  to  the 
canal  which  we  crossed  in  a  boat  and  struck  the  Abbasiya  Road 
near  the  house  of  Mr.  Nasr  Alia  Luka,  where  a  native  gentki- 
man  in  his  private  carriage  took  me  in  and  drove  me  to  tiie 
mission  house.     In  passing  through  the  narrow  streets  to  avoid 


IN  Egypt.  351 

getting  near  the  railway  station  I  could  hear  the  Muslims  curs- 
ing the  English  and  expressing  the  hope  that  their  ammunition 
would  all  be  destroyed,  and  then  they  would  rise  against  them. 
The  fire  continued  for  more  than  an  hour  and  a  half.  On 
reaching  the  mission  1  found  that  Brothers  Harvey  and  Alexan- 
der (who  had  reached  Cairo  a  few  days  before)  had  gone  with 
my  servant  to  the  station  to  meet  me.  They  soon  returned 
and  reported  several  persons  killed.  My  servant  had  his  tar- 
boosh blown  off  several  times  and  his  hand  wounded.  Had  not 
our  train  been  detained  at  the  switch,  we  would  have  been  on 
the  landing  when  the  explosion  occurred.  The  Lord  in  His 
great  mercy  preserved  us.  This  happened  on  September  28. 
Two  days  after  there  was  a  grand  review  of  the  British  troops. 
General  Wolseley  and  his  staff  and  native  and  foreign  dignita- 
ries occupied  a  stand  in  the  Abdin  Square,  and  the  troops 
marched  past  them  in  grand  style,  and  divided,  marching 
through  the  most  prominent  streets  of  Cairo,  evidently  with 
the  intent  of  impressing  the  people  with  the  power  of  the  Brit- 
ish army  and  the  futility  of  any  uprising. 

The  following  few  days  were  spent  in  receiving  friends  and 
hearing  their  various  reports  of  the  condition  of  Cairo  during 
our  absence.  It  was  the  general  testimony  of  the  natives  that 
it  was  better  for  them  that  the  missionaries  left,  as  the  hatred 
to  foreigners  became  very  intense.  Towards  the  last,  it  is  true, 
it  extended  to  all  non-Muslims,  and  we  found  that  it  was  the 
universal  belief  among  native  Christians  that  unless  the  British 
troops  had  reached  Cairo  before  Friday,  September  15,  on  that 
day  there  would  have  been  a  general  massacre  of  them,  and  a 
division  of  their  property  among  the  "believers."  This  opinion 
was  also  held  by  the  native  Christians  I  met  with  on  my  mis- 
sionary tour,  made  as  far  as  Aswan,  during  the  following  winter. 
From  what  is  known  of  Muhammadan  fanaticism  and  hatred  in 
such  circumstances,  that  is  what  might  have  been  expected. 
Many  reported  that  they  could  hear  their  Muhammadan  neigh- 
bors talking  together  about  the  division  of  the  property  of  the 
native  Christians.  By  the  timely  arrival  of  a  few  troops  at 
Abbasiya  and  the  citadel  on  Thursday  evening,  the  city  of  Cairo 
was  preserved  from  the  fate  of  Alexandria,  and  its  non-Muslim 


352  The  American  Mission 

inhabitants  from  butchery.  The  delight  of  these  was  evident 
on  the  day  of  the  grand  review,  when  the  Christian  and  Jewish 
population  lined  the  streets  and  cheered  the  troops  as  they 
passed.  One  of  our  native  members,  a  woman  from  Bulac, 
jumped  up  and  down  in  the  crowd,  calling  out,  "  Dank  you ! 
Dank  you!"  (the  only  English  words  she  knew).  Before  the 
end  of  the  year  the  missionaries  returned  with  their  families 
and  found  everything  just  as  when  they  left.  The  meetings 
had  been  continued  at  all  the  stations.  The  native  brethren 
had  shown  their  faithfulness  to  the  cause  of  truth  in  the  most 
trying  circumstances,  and  the  Lord  had  preserved  them  so  that 
not  one  of  them  had  received  personal  injury,  though  many  "had 
been  compelled  to  aid  the  rebellion  in  various  ways.  Rev.  John 
Giffen  returned  from  the  United  States  early  in  1883,  leaving 
his  children  in  care  of  their  maternal  aunt.  On  March  1 5,  1883, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  E.  E.  Newlin,  of  the  Asyut 
staff.  Miss  Kyle,  who  had  a  few  months  previously  arrived 
from  America  as  a  new  recruit,  did  what  she  could  to  supply 
the  vacancy  thus  made  in  the  girls'  boarding  school  in  Asyut. 
On  the  return  of  the  missionaries  to  Egypt,  it  was  decided 
that  I  make  a  missionary  tour  on  the  **  Ibis  "  as  far  as  Aswan, 
for  the  purpose  of  meeting  with  the  native  brethren  and  of  get- 
ting a  knowledge  of  their  condition  and  wants  after  the  trials 
through  which  they  had  passed,  and  of  uniting  with  them  in 
giving  thanks  to  our  heavenly  Father  who  had  protected  those 
who  went  away  by  sea  and  land,  and  brought  them  back  again  to 
their  work,  and  had  preserved  from  the  rage  of  their  enemies 
those  who  were  daily  threatened  and  cursed,  and  were  in  con- 
stant  dread  of  the  treatment  which  the  Armenians  have  just 
received,  in  the  years  1894-95.  After  collecting  a  few  stores 
and  making  such  other  preparations  as  were  necessary  for  our 
comfort,  Mrs.  Watson,  Charlie  and  I  started  from  Old  Cairo  on 
Wednesday,  November  15,  1882.  I  think  I  never  felt  so  much 
in  need  of  rest  as  then,  and  there  is  no  place  in  the  world  more 
restful  than  a  dahabeah  on  the  Nile,  provided  there  is  no  stop- 
ping at  the  towns  and  villages.  For  days  we  rested  and  thanked 
the  Lord  for  the  repose.  On  the  way  south  we  stopped  at  Bibi 
and  Minya.     At  the  latter  place  we  were  delayed  for  some  days 


0 


'/ 


'^J^*"--' 


^ 


-% 


Sailors  in   Holiday  Costunic-. 


IN  EGYPT.  353 

on  account  of  a  leak  in  the  boat,  and  every  night  I  conducted 
services  and  had  large  audiences.  We  stopped  at  Asyut  for  a 
day  or  two  to  receive  and  dispatch  letters.  Reached  Kena  on 
December  7,  and  spent  the  rest  of  the  week  and  Sabbath  there, 
conducting  services  every  evening.  Tliere  are  some  good  men 
in  the  place,  but  there  is  great  need  of  patient,  continuous, 
earnest  work  among  those  who  are  willing  to  listen.  Reached 
Aswan  on  December  21,  and  after  visiting  Philas  and  the  ruins, 
I  commenced  the  work  for  which  I  took  the  trip.  I  spent  Sab- 
bath, the  24th,  at  Edfu,  received  inquirers  and  read  and 
talked  and  prayed  with  one  company  after  another  all  day. 
Spent  a  week  at  Esna,  and  a  few  days  at  Azaimah,  a  few  days 
in  Erment  and  Maris.  Had  a  profitable  time  at  Luxor.  In  the 
daytime  had  meetings  with  the  women,  a  large  number  of  whom 
assembled,  through  my  wife's  efforts,  and  I  read,  talked,  and 
prayed  with  them,  and  in  the  evenings  conducted  meetings  with 
the  men.  We  also  visited  Kurnah,  and  stayed  all  night  at  Mr. 
Tadros'  house  and  conducted  religious  services.  There  was 
there  a  family  of  intelligent  people  serving  the  Lord  with  sincer- 
ity and  simplicity.  Coming  down  to  Kus,  we  spent  more  than 
a  week  there,  and  visited  several  houses  and  conducted  many 
meetings.  A  large  number  of  men  and  women  professed  their 
faith  in  Christ  and  attended  the  services  on  Sabbath,  but  though, 
taken  as  a  whole,  they  are  in  better  circumstances  than  many 
others,  we  found  them  very  backward  in  contributing  of  their 
means  for  the  support  of  the  Gospel,  even  among  themselves. 
At  all  the  places  where  we  stopped  we  received  a  hearty  wel- 
come, and  a  wide  door  was  open  for  preaching  the  Gospel  to 
saints  and  sinners.  In  speaking  to  the  people  about  their  ex- 
periences during  the  Arabi  insurrection  and  the  result,  they  all 
expressed  their  delight  at  the  occupation  of  the  country  by  the 
British,  and  the  hope  that  they  would  never  leave  it  to  be  gov- 
erned by  "those  who  have  no  fear  of  God  nor  sense  of  justice 
in  their  hearts." 

THE  CHOLERA  IN   1883. 

Towards  the  end  of  June,  1883,  all  Egypt  was  startled  by 
the  report  that  cholera  had  broken  out  in  Damietta.     A  com- 
23 


354  The  American  Mission 

mission  of  doctors  was  sent  to  examine  into  the  truth  of  the 
report.  They  were  not  long  in  unanimously  confirming  it.  In 
a  few  days  the  disease  appeared  at  Monsurah.  A  sanitary  cor- 
don was  placed  around  the  infected  districts,  and  all  ingress  or 
egress  was  prevented.  Scores  were  dying  daily.  Food  and 
provisions  became  scarce  in  Monsurah,  and  starvation  seemed 
about  to  add  its  horrors  to  tliose  of  the  dread  disease.  The 
doctors  were  unable  to  relieve  those  afflicted,  or  even  to  attend 
to  all  the  cases.  A  relief  society  was  formed  at  Alexandria, 
which  forwarded  physicians  and  provisions.  Fear  fell  upon  all 
classes,  and  thousands,  choosing  the  hardships  of  quarantine 
and  exposure,  took  passage  for  other  lands.  In  twenty  days 
from  its  commencement  the  disease  appeared  in  Cairo.  It  was 
very  fatal  in  the  suburbs,  especially  in  Bulak.  Over  four  hun- 
dred deaths  were  reported  some  days  for  the  city  and  suburbs. 
Trade  was  paralyzed.  Gradually  the  disease  went  down  the 
western  branch  of  the  Nile  towards  Alexandria,  and  up  the 
Nile  towards  the  Upper  Thebaid,  but  the  doctors  began  to 
understand  how  to  cope  with  the  disease,  and  it  gradually 
assumed  a  lighter  type.  By  the  middle  of  September  the  viru- 
lence of  the  epidemic  had  ceased,  though  cases  occurred  as 
late  as  December.  The  official  reports  place  the  total  deaths 
at  over  40,000. 

The  missionaries  at  Asyut  had  gone,  as  usual,  to  Ramleh 
before  the  disease  appeared.  Rev.  J.  Giffen  joined  his  family 
when  it  was  feared  he  would  be  cut  off  by  the  cordon.  Dr. 
Hogg  had  gone  on  a  visit  to  Scotland.  Mr.  Nichol  and  his 
family,  on  account  of  his  sickness,  had  left  Monsurah  and  gone 
to  Ramleh  only  a  few  days  before  the  telegraph  reported  tlie 
disease  at  Damietta.  The  brethren  in  Cairo  and  Alexandria 
remained  in  their  places,  and  were  able  on  many  occasions  to 
give  aid  and  comfort  to  the  afflicted.  None  of  the  missionaries 
was  attacked.  In  their  case  was  fulfilled  the  promise,  "  Thou 
Shalt  not  be  afraid  for  the  terror  by  night ;  nor  for  the  arrow 
that  flieth  by  day  ;  nor  for  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  dark- 
ness. A  thousand  shall  fall  at  thy  side,  and  ten  thousand  at 
thy  right  hand,  but  it  shall  not  come  nigh  thee." 


IN  EGYPT.  .  355 

THE   VISIT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONERS. 

During  this  period  the  mission  was  visited  by  a  commission 
appointed  by  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  consisting'of  Rev. 
W.  W.  Barr,  D.  D.,  and  Rev.  Robert  Stewart,  D.  D.  They 
arrived  in  Egypt  on  the  7th  of  March,  1881,  and  spent  forty- 
four  days  in  the  country.  During  that  time  they  attended  the 
sessions  of  the  presbytery  and  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Asso- 
ciation. They  visited  all  the  principal  stations  of  the  mission, 
and  many  of  the  out-stations.  They  saw  something  of  the 
rough  side  of  missionary  life,  and  something  of  the  comforts 
and  enjoyments  of  the  missionaries.  They  saw  many  of  the 
natives  in  their  homes  and  in  their  meetings,  and  had  inter- 
views with  many  of  them,  sometimes  through  interpreters,  and 
sometimes  directly  with  those  who  knew  the  English  language. 
As  was  to  be  expected,  they  manifested  a  deep  interest  in  the 
work,  and  made  intelligent  inquiries  about  various  matters  that 
were  not  patent  to  their  observation.  The  missionaries  were 
glad  to  have  them  become  intimately  acquainted  with  the  work 
in  all  its  departments,  so  that  they  might  on  their  return  home 
be  able  to  give  light  on  various  questions  which  might  come  up 
in  the  meetings  of  the  Board  or  the  General  Assembly;  while 
the  commissioners  made  us  all  feel  that  they  were  our  true 
friends,  and  wished  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  cause 
for  which  we  are  laboring.  On  several  occasions  they  ad- 
dressed the  congregations  through  interpreters,  and  at  the 
meeting  of  the  presbytery  they  addressed  the  ministers  and 
elders  on  their  duties  and  responsibilties.  Their  visit  was  a 
pleasure  and  an  inspiration,  and  I  have  heard  the  hope  expressed 
that  such  visits  might  be  repeated.  I  accompanied  them  to 
Tanta  and  Monsurah,  from  there  on  a  short  excursion  to  Zoan, 
near  the  northern  boundary  of  Egypt.  We  left  Monsurah 
early  on  Wednesday,  April  20,  1881,  on  Mr.  Alfred  Dales' 
small  steamer,  going  by  the  large  canal,  called  by  the  natives 
"  the  little  sea."  We  stopped  at  Basarat  and  had  a  bountiful 
repast  in  the  evening  at  the  house  of  Sheikh  Sheleby  Shahin. 
From  there  we  got  an  open  fishing  boat  in  which  we  were  towed 
for  about  two  hours.     The  fish  were  so  numerous  in  the  canal 


356  The  American  Mission 

that,  frightened  by  the  boat,  they  jumped  out  of  the  water  and 
many  of  them  fell  into  the  boat.  That  reminded  us  of  what 
the  Jews  said  about  their  eating  fish  in  Egypt  "freely,"  i.  e., 
without  paying  anything  for  them.  Reaching  a  farmhouse 
belonging  to  the  sheikh  already  mentioned,  we  rested  for  a  few 
hours  as  best  we  could  without  beds.  From  that  place  we  rode 
on  animals  over  the  fields  of  Zoan,  some  of  which  were  so 
rough  that  the  horses  had  difficulty  in  passing  over  them,  and 
on  one  occasion  one  of  the  horses  fell  and  rolled  over  on  its 
rider.  Dr.  Barr.  For  a  few  moments  we  were  in  great  fear 
lest  he  had  sustained  serious  injury,  but  after  resting  half  an 
hour  he  was  able  to  mount  another  animal  less  frisky  and  pro- 
ceed on  the  journey.  We  reached  the  temple  of  Zoan  in  a 
heavy  sirocco,  and  could  with  difficulty  look  over  the  ruins, 
and  had  no  time  for  making  personal  investigations.  We  re- 
called the  story  of  the  plagues,  the  marvellous  things  done  in 
Egypt  in  the  land  of  Zoan  many  centuries  ago.  I  valued  the 
trip  especially  for  the  opportunity  it  gave  me  for  pleasant  inter- 
course with  my  old  friends,  Drs.  Barr  and  Stewart. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  visit  of  the 
commissioners  resulted  in  one  of  our  best  unmarried  ladies 
being  led  away  a  willing  captive  by  one  of  them  and  taken  to 
our  sister  mission  in  India.  Of  course  we  all  knew  of  his 
lonely  condition  and  his  need  of  a  helpmeet,  but,  coming  as  he 
did  in  official  capacity,  we  did  not  suspect  that  he  would  take 
advantage  of  that  circumstance  to  spy  out  the  land  on  his  own 
personal  account !  We  were  loth  indeed  to  part  with  our  sister 
but  we  had  to  comfort  ourselves  as  best  we  could.  It  was  no 
small  honor  to  the  Egyptian  mission  to  furnish  a  life  partner  to 
a  member  of  the  Board.  The  union  was  consummated  in 
the  large  Cairo  church  on  the  evening  of  December  i,  1881. 
Refreshments  were  prepared  by  the  ladies  of  the  Cairo 
station,  to  which  all  the  missionaries  and  a  few  special 
friends  were  invited.  Among  the  guests  were  the  American 
consul-general,  Judge  and  Mrs.  Batchelor,  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Grant,  and  others. 


IN  EGYPT.  357 

THE  SPREAD  OF  PLYMOUTHISM. 

As  stated  in  the  history  for  1869,  Rev.  B.  F.  Pinkerton  re- 
signed and  returned  to  America.  Subsequently  he  proposed  to 
come  back  to  Egypt.  Our  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  commu- 
nicated with  the  mission  on  the  subject,  and  were  informed  that 
unless  he  came  back  in  full  sympathy  with  the  doctrines  of  our 
Church,  there  could  be  no  harmony  in  the  work.  Finding  it 
impossible  to  return  under  our  Board,  he  came  out  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Plymouth  Brethren,  and  made  his  headquarters 
in  Syria.  After  preparing  tracts  on  various  subjects,  such  as 
"  The  One  Man  Ministry,"  "  The  Law,"  "  The  Duty  of  With- 
drawal from  the  Modern  Churches,"  etc.,  he  was  accustomed 
to  come  to  Egypt  every  winter  and  scatter  these  broadcast 
among  the  churches  and  workers.  He  had  already  among  the 
natives  and  English  a  few  who  adhered  strenuously  to  his  views, 
and  aided  him  in  disseminating  his  tracts.  Under  the  plea  of 
special  sanctity,  as  well  as  personal  indigence,  because  unsup- 
ported by  any  mission,  and  being  already  acquainted  with  many 
of  our  people,  he  readily  secured  an  entrance  and  a  hearing 
wherever  he  went,  and  his  tracts,  so  well  written  and  inge- 
niously arranged,  and  the  points  advanced  apparently  so  well 
confirmed  by  passages  of  Scripture,  were  eagerly  read  and  de- 
voured by  the  Egyptians,  whether  Protestants  or  Copts.  He 
generally  timed  his  visits  so  as  to  be  in  our  important  centers 
when  the  native  pastors  and  workers  were  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  presbytery,  and  never  hesitated  to  bring  forward  his 
peculiar  notions  concerning  the  Church  and  its  ordinances, 
otfices  and  gifts,  and  the  rights  of  all  believers  to  baptize  and 
dispense  the  Lord's  Supper,  etc.  During  the  winter  of  1878-79 
Mr.  Harvey  found  at  several  places  p)ersons  making  inquiries 
about  the  Plymouth  doctrines  and  usages,  and  from  that  time 
forward  for  several  years,  many  v/ere  influenced  more  or  less 
by  Mr.  Pinkerton  and  his  tracts,  while  the  difference  between 
the  teachings  of  our  Church  and  the  Plymouth  Brethren  became 
in  many  places,  especially  in  the  upper  country,  the  chief  sub- 
ject of  religious  discussion.  Dr.  Hogg,  thinking  to  restrain  him 
from  sowing  the  seeds  of  dissension  in  Asyut  and  neighborhood, 


358  The  American  Mission 

invited  him,  on  one  of  his  trips,  to  stay  with  him,  but  this  only 
increased  his  popularity  and  led  others  to  invite  him  to  their 
homes,  where,  instead  of  teaching  the  great  doctrines  and  truths 
held  in  common,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  disseminate  his  peculiar 
tenets. 

The  movement  spread  rapidly  among  all  our  little  congre- 
gations in  the  Asyut,  Sohag  and  Esna  provinces,  and  several  of 
our  most  hopeful  young  men  were  affected  by  it.  On  account 
of  his  views,  it  was  only  after  much  hesitation  that  Butros  Dy- 
onesius  was  passed  for  ordination  and  installation  in  the  joint 
charge  of  Luxor  and  Gurnah.  His  blind  brother,  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  talent,  was  carried  away  by  the  new  doctrine. 
Rev.  Girgis  Raphail  and  his  church  at  Mellawi,  and  the  little 
company  of  believers  in  that  region,  were  filled  with  it.  A 
Plymouth  congregation  was  gathered  in  Nakheilah,  and  not  a 
few  of  our  number  joined  it.  Rev.  Girgis  Raphail  ceased  to 
attend  the  meetings  of  presbytery,  and  in  March,  1883,  he  and 
the  other  two  brothers  from  Kus  held  a  Plymouth  revival  in 
Nakheilah  during  the  absence  of  the  pastor  at  presbytery.  They 
sent  a  paper  to  presbytery  containing  their  views,  and  threat- 
ening that,  if  these  views  were  not  refuted  by  proofs  from 
Scripture,  they  would  publicly  teach  them.  Dr.  Hogg  was  ap- 
pointed to  reply,  but  they  did  not  desistfrom  disseminating  their 
views  until  they  received  the  reply.  When  the  reply  was  pre- 
pared and  spread  abroad  among  the  people,  it  had  a  salutary 
effect  upon  them,  but  the  leaders  had  gone  too  far  to  retreat. 
At  last  it  was  decided  to  cite  the  two  pastors,  Rev.  G.  Raphail 
and  Rev.  Butros  Dyonesius,  to  appear  before  the  presbytery. 
Only  the  former  appeared,  but  he  showed  no  disposition  to 
withdraw  from  any  of  the  positions  he  had  taken.  Dr.  Lansing 
and  Rev.  Shanooda  Hanna  were  appointed  to  write  a  brotherly 
letter  of  admonition  and  reproof  to  the  two,  and  six  months 
were  given  them  to  reconsider  their  whole  position,  and  give  up 
their  divisive  courses.  At  the  end  of  this  time  a  very  respect- 
ful paper  was  received  from  Rev.  Butros  Dyonesius,  written 
with  so  much  apparent  sincerity  that  presbytery  decided  to  bear 
with  him  six  months  longer,  and  requested  Dr  Hogg,  who  was 
to  visit  upper  Egypt  that  year,  to  do  what  he  could  to  convince 


IN  Egypt.  359 

him  of  his  errors.  Rev.  Girgis  did  not  condescend  to  reply,  but 
on  the  contrary  continued  with  the  greatest  zeal  to  pursue 
divisive  courses.  Presbytery,  therefore,  felt  constrained  to  dis- 
solve the  connection  between  him  and  the  congregation  of  Mel- 
lawi,  and  to  suspend  him  from  the  exercise  of  the  ministry  and 
from  Church  communion.  He  immediately  commenced  going 
from  church  to  church,  and  from  station  to  station,  accompanied 
sometimes  by  a  Mr.  Asaad  Shadudi,  from  Syria,  and  sometimes 
by  Mr.  Pinkerton. 

Their  attempt  to  produce  a  serious  schism  failed.  Even  in 
the  Mellawi  church  only  five  or  six  persons  seceded  and  met  to- 
gether in  Plymouth  fashion  to  break  bread.  The  decisive 
action  of  presbytery  brought  matters  to  a  sharp  issue,  and  the 
people  generally,  with  few  exceptions,  and  these  in  the  region 
of  Nakheilah,  said,  "  We  will  stick  to  the  Church  that  gave  us 
the  Gospel."  The  extreme  lengths  to  which  the  leaders  had 
gone  on  certain  points,  such  as  non-ordination  and  lay  adminis- 
tration of  the  sacraments,  and  the  falling  out  of  the  leaders  on 
certain  doctrines  and  practices  were  among  the  causes  that  pro- 
duced a  reaction  against  the  movement.  The  effect  of  the 
movement,  however,  was  to  produce  a  manifest  spiritual 
coldness  in  all  the  communities  where  the  excitement 
had  been  the  greatest  .-'  It  was  some  time  before  this  condition 
was  removed  and  a  renewal  of  interest  in  spiritual  service  and 
religious  work  took  place.  Subsequently  presbytery  passed 
the  same  sentence  upon  Rev.  Butros  as  it  had  upon  Rev. 
Girgis,  and  thus  two  congregations  were  left  without  pastors, 
and  the  names  of  two  of  our  most  promising  young  pastors 
were  removed  from  the  roll  of  presbytery.  Great  efforts  were 
made  by  the  suspended  pastors  and  Mr.  Pinkerton  and  other 
leaders  to  take  away  our  members,  but  in  most  cases  without 
success.  Although  the  movement  lingered  on  in  several  places, 
and  took  a  fresh  start  in  others  for  a  time,  yet  its  followers 
became  fewer  and  fewer,  and  with  the  death  of  Mr.  Pinkerton 
and  the  death  of  Rev.  Butros,  and  the  occurrence  of  dissension 
and  division  among  the  rest,  there  is  little  left  at  this  time  but 
a  community  of  perhaps  one  hundred  in  Nakheilah,  fifty  in 
Asyut,  and  a  few  persons  at  other  points. 


36o  The  American  Mission 

MOVEMENT  AMONG  MUHAMMADANS. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  work  of  our  mission  has  been 
largely  among  the  Copts,  not  because  the  mission  was  estab- 
lished for  them  only,  but  because  their  need  of  a  knowledge 
of  the  scriptural  plan  of  salvation  was  seen  to  be  almost,  if  not 
entirely,  as  great  as  the  need  of  the  Muhammadans,  and  be- 
cause the  door  of  the  Copts  was  opened  wide,  while  the  door  to 
the  Muhammadans  was  generally  closed  and  double  barred. 
Much,  however,  has  been  done  by  our  mission  among  the 
Muhammadan  children,  much  more  than  by  all  other  agencies 
combined.  There  has  alwa}'s  been  a  large  number  of  these 
children  in  our  schools,  and  the  missionaries  and  the  native 
teachers  and  other  workers  have  often  had  discussions  and  con- 
versations with  adults,  while  many  copies  of  God's  Word  have 
been  sold  to  them.  Several  important  works  were  also  pre- 
pared and  published  on  the  Muhammadan  controversy.  As 
many  as  seventy-five  Muhammadans  have  been  baptized,  most 
of  them  of  the  lower  strata  of  society.  Some,  however,  were 
of  intelligence  and  position.  The  great  difficulty  was  the  non- 
recognition  of  the  principle  of  religious  liberty  by  the  govern- 
ment officials,  except  when  compelled  by  pressure  from  a  Chris- 
tian power  through  its  consul-general.  Besides  these,  there 
has  always  been,  and  there  still  is,  the  Muhammadan  espHt  dc 
corps,  that  is  so  strong  that  a  brother  will  kill  his  brother  and  a 
father  his  son  rather  than  see  them  become  Ciiristians.  Besides, 
the  idea  of  personal  liberty  has  no  place  in  the  Muhammadan 
system,  whether  religious  or  civil.  To  this  very  day,  relati\  es 
will  bring  about  by  secret  poisoning  or  other  means  the  death  of 
those  whose  Christian  proclivities  cannot  be  removed  by  argu- 
ments or  by  promises.  I  presume  every  American  missionary 
has  a  personal  acquaintance  with  Muhammadans  who  in  secret 
avow  their  disbelief  in  Muhammadanism  and  their  belief  in 
Christianity,  and  are  restrained  by  fear  from  making  a  profes- 
sion. During  the  period  covered  by  this  chapter,  i.e.,  between 
1880  and  1885,  there  were  many  Muhammadan  inquirers. 
The  reason  for  this  was  that  their  brightest  hopes,  raised  b\' 
the  speeches  of  the  mosque  party  and  the  pretensions  of  Arabi 


IN  Egypt.  361 

and  his  colleagues,  were  utterly  blasted  by  the  result  of  the 
battle  of  Tel  el-Kebir  and  the  occupation  of  the  country  by  a 
Christian  power.  Muhammadan  inquirers  began  to  think  that 
there  would  be  no  more  official  persecution,  and,  with  that  re- 
moved, that  the  social  persecutions  would  disappear  also. 
They  counted  on  the  Christian  power  which  occupied  the  coun- 
try doing  for  Christianity  what  a  Muhammadan  power  would 
do  for  Muhammadans  under  similar  circumstances.  They  did 
not  know  that  political  ends  are  of  greater  importance  with  the 
so-called  Christian  powers  than  Christianity  itself,  and  that 
the  power  occupying  the  country  would  take  no  special  care  of 
the  Christian  population,  nor  manifest  any  special  interest  in 
converts  from  Islam.  The  presence  of  troops  of  a  Christian 
power  in  Egypt,  and  the  exercise  of  supreme  authority  in  the 
country  by  its  representatives,  doubtless  convinced  many  of  the 
people  that  no  obstacle  existed  to  anyone  becoming  a  Christian. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  this  period  of  five  years  was  a  time  when 
all  through  Egypt  Muhammadan  inquirers  appeared  in  consid- 
erable numbers,  and  m\-  late  colleague  was  very  sanguine  then 
that  the  time  for  a  general  exit  from  Islam  to  Christianity  had 
come. 

hi  the  evangelistic  report  for  1883,  the  writer  said  :  "  Dur- 
ing and  immediately  after  the  rebellion  we  heard  of  persons  in 
different  places  making  inquiries  ;  but  during  the  past  year  the 
most  important  events  have  taken  place  in  connection  with 
this  movement.  Often  those  applying  have  been  of  the  lowly 
and  ignorant— they  seemed  to  be  able  to  see  where  light  and 
knowledge  were  and  came  ;  but  this  year  some  of  the  middle 
and  higher  classes,  in  the  face  of  great  opposition  and  persecu- 
tion from  friends  and  government,  have  joined  themselves  to 
God's  people.  The  first  case  was  that  of  Muhammad  Habeeb. 
He  had  been  educated  at  the  government  college  at  Cairo.  He 
was  a  stationer,  and  had  a  shop  in  the  capital.  He  had  become 
acquainted  with  some  Protestants  in  Monsurah  a  few  years  be- 
fore, and  had  there  learned  something  of  the  truth.  After- 
wards moving  to  Cairo,  he  continued  to  study  Christian  books, 
getting  a  reference  Bible  and  a  Catechism  from  our  shop.  He 
frequently   talked   with    his   co-religionists   on   the   subject  of 


362  The  AMERICAN  Mission 

Christianity,  and  soon  it  became  known  tliat  he  was  rejecting 
the  Muslim  faitli.  Efforts  were  made  to  reclaim  him,  but  the 
learned  men  of  his  former  religion  could  not  stand  before  his 
clear  reasoning  and  strong  arguments.  Force  was  then  resorted 
to,  and  he  was  seized  by  a  mob  and  dragged  to  the  kadi's  court. 
There  he  was  not  only  maltreated,  but,  contrary  to  law,  im- 
prisoned. His  goods  were  seized,  his  wife  divorced,  and  he 
himself  sent  to  the  government  hospital  on  the  plea  that  he  was 
insane.  His  arrest  was  promptly  brought  to  the  attention  of 
her  British  majesty's  representative  in  Egypt,  but  Charif 
Pasha,  the  prime  minister,  persuaded  her  majesty's  consul- 
general  that  the  young  man's  presence  as  a  converted  Muslim 
would  be  the  cause  of  excitement  and  disturbance  and  a  pos- 
sible religious  mob,  and  he  consented  to  a  temporary  removal 
of  the  young  man  from  the  country,  or  to  what  was  in  reality 
his  banishment  from  his  native  land,  and  all  because  he  had  read 
the  Bible  and  became  convinced  of  its  truth,  and  dared  to  say 
so.  He  was  at  once  removed  from  the  hospital  and  sent  by  train, 
in  the  care  of  two  officials,  to  Alexandria  to  be  conveyed  to 
Cyprus.  He  was  seen  on  the  train  by  one  of  our  people,  who 
informed  the  mission  of  what  had  taken  place.  He  spent  the 
journey  in  explaining  Bible  doctrine  and  the  Catechism  to  his 
guards.  The  next  day  he  was  sent  on  board  a  vessel,  and  since 
the  middle  of  July,  1883,  he  has  been  an  exile  in  a  foreign 
land,  without  a  single  companion  or  previous  acquaintance,  in 
an  island  where  the  customs,  language  and  climate  are  different 
from  those  of  his  own  country.  It  is  true  he  is  under  the  iegis 
of  the  English  government,  and  was  consigned  to  the  care  of  the 
governor  of  Cyprus,  and  his  immediate  wants  have  been  pro- 
vided for,  but  he  has  been  torn  from  his  family  and  depri\'ed  of 
the  means  of  gaining  a  livelihood,  beaten  by  the  mob  and  spat 
upon,  imprisoned  and  expatriated  because  he  had  become  a 
Christian  and  that  with  the  cognizance  of  the  highest  author- 
ities in  the  land." 

After  over  a  year's  banishment  he  was  permitted  to  return 
to  Egypt,  on  condition  that  he  should  not  reside  in  Cairo.  He 
was  put  in  the  mission  bookshop  in  Zakazik,  and  was  very  zeal- 
ous for  a  time,  but,  being  a  novice,  and  iiaving  no  opportunity 


IN  Egypt.  363 

for  growth  in  knowledge  and  Christian  character  in  Zakazik,  he 
gradually  became  cold,  then  careless,  fell  under  the  influence  of 
bad  men,  became  discontented  with  his  one  wife,  and  at 
last  went  back,  nominally,  to  Islam.  I  have  seen  him  many 
times  since,  and  am  sure  he  does  not  believe  in  Islam,  but  only 
keeps  up  an  appearance  of  belief,  partly  from  fear,  and  partly 
for  the  means  of  getting  a  livelihood.  His  departure,  after  en- 
during so  much,  was  a  sad  disappointment  to  us  all,  and  a 
severe  trial  to  our  faith  in  any  real  conversion  from  Islam. 

Another  young  man,  the  friend  of  the  above,  also  announced 
his  belief  in  Christianity,  and  was  imprisoned  and  then  allowed 
free  exit  from  prison.  He  did  not  remain  long  a  professed 
Christian,  but  returned  to  his  former  faith.  His  case  was  never 
an  encouraging  one,  and  we  had  lost  all  confidence  in  him  for 
some  time  before  he  left  us. 

Two  other  persons  from  the  upper  country,  on  its  becoming 
known  that  they  were  attending  Christian  assemblies,  were 
seized,  beaten  and  imprisoned.  Still  persisting  in  their  adher- 
ence to  the  Christian  faith,  they  were  sent  to  Cairo  and  kept 
in  prison  until,  through  representations  made  to  the  government 
through  Sir  Evelyn  Baring  (now  Lord  Cromer),  they  were 
brought  to  the  American  mission  in  Cairo.  These,  as  far  as  I 
know,  remain  steadfast  in  the  Christian  belief.  Others,  seeing 
the  difficulties  attending  the  renunciation  of  Islam  and  the  pro- 
fession of  Christianity,  even  in  Egypt  under  the  British  occupa- 
tion, are  content  to  come  to  the  missionaries,  Nicodemus-like, 
by  night.  At  this  day  there  are  many  known  to  us,  and  some 
of  them  graduates  of  the  El  Azhar,  who  utterly  reject  the  claims 
of  Muhammad  and  his  religion,  and  are  only  deterred  from  em- 
bracing Christianity  by  what  they  know  they  would  have  to 
bear  of  social  persecution  and  family  alienation.  Scarcely  a 
year  passes,  however,  without  one  or  two  converts  from  Islam, 
and  we  cease  not  to  labor  and  pray  that  the  time  may  soon 
come  when,  under  the  mighty  power  of  God's  Spirit,  many  will 
embrace  Jesus  Christ  as  their  Saviour. 

NILE   MISSION  WORK. 

This  work  was  carried  on  during  this  period,  for  the  most 
part,  by  Dr.  Hogg  and  Dr.  Lansing.     In  1880  the  former  took 


364  The  American  Mission 

the  "  Ibis  "  and  spent  some  time  at  Minya  teaching  the  theolog- 
ical students  during  the  day  and  conducting  special  evangelistic 
meetings  in  the  evenings,  and  remained  there  a  month  after  the 
students  left.  Strong  opposition  from  the  Coptic  hierarchy, 
and  also  from  the  government  officials  and  their  subordinates, 
was  encountered.  The  young  men  who  had  asked  the  mission- 
aries to  come,  had  for  a  time  to  keep  away  from  them,  but,  not- 
withstanding the  opposition  of  the  enemies  of  the  truth  and  the 
timidity  of  the  inquirers,  the  audiences  in  the  evenings  increased, 
and  the  truth  spread  rapidly  through  conversations  with  the 
people  in  their  homes  and  in  the  Nile  boat.  After  Dr.  Hogg's, 
departure,  the  place  was  visited  occasionally  by  the  pastor  at 
Mellawi,  and  then,  as  often  as  possible,  a  licentiate  or  other 
native  worker  was  sent  there. 

In  1883  Dr.  Hogg  visited  the  stations  between  Mellawi 
and  El  Kom  Akhdar,  and  addressed  large  audiences  in  many 
places.  He  was  followed  by  Dr.  Lansing,  who,  with  Mrs. 
Lansing,  made  a  visitation  of  the  stations  in  the  Upper  Thebaid 
and  found  doors  wide  open  everywhere,  and  many  ready  to  hear 
the  word  of  the  Lord. 

In  1884,  also.  Dr.  Lansing  and  Dr.  Hogg  spent  a  time  in 
the  "Ibis,"  visiting  and  strengthening  the  brethren.  These 
visits,  though  entailing  much  hard  work,  and  often  unpleasant 
and  severe  personal  experiences,  were  of  immense  importance 
in  strengthening  the  faith  of  the  weak,  and  in  stimulating  the 
activities  of  the  members  and  bringing  outsiders  to  hear  the 
preaching  of  the  Word.  Many  who  came  out  of  curiosity,  heard 
something  that  set  them  to  thinking  and  to  searching  the  Scrip- 
tures. The  number  of  members  received  on  profession  of  their 
faith  during  these  five  years,  in  the  native  pastorates  and  mis- 
sion stations,  was  939,  and  the  contributions  for  church  and 
evangelistic  purposes  was  1^22,779. 

DEATHS  OF  PROMINENT  MEMBERS. 

Mr.  Wasif  El  Khayat,  of  Asyut,  the  first  fruits  of  that  city, 
was  among  the  number  of  those  who  died  during  this  period. 
He  was  one  of  the  richest  and  most  influential  men  of  his  native 
cit\'.     Humble  and  unobtrusive,  he  commanded  the  respect  of 


IN  EGYPT.  365 

those  without,  as  well  as  of  his  fellow  Christians.  He  was 
ordained  elder  over  the  Asyut  congregation  March  23,  1879,  and 
took  an  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  both  within  his  native 
city  and  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  and  this  interest  he  mani- 
fested by  his  liberal  contributions.  When  the  girls'  boarding 
school  was  established  in  Asyut,  he  assumed  the  expense  of 
the  day  school,  providing  a  house  and  paying  all  the  other  ex- 
penses. Asyut  congregation  and  the  whole  Evangelical  Church 
of  Egypt  has  sustained  a  great  loss  by  his  death,  but  we  doubt 
not  that  "  our  loss  is  his  gain."  "  Blessed  are  the  dead  which 
die  in  the  Lord,  from  henceforth.  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that 
they  may  rest  from  their  labors :  and  their  works  do  follow 
them." 

Rev.  Makhiel  el-Belyani — familiarly  known  as  Father 
Makhiel  Belyani — was  a  man  of  64  years  of  age.  The  story 
of  his  life  is  briefly  but  clearly  told  in  Dr.  Scouller's  Manual,  and 
only  a  reference  here  is  necessary.  He  was  brought  up  a  monk ; 
was  sent  with  the  Metropolitan  to  Abyssinia ;  returned  after 
undergoing  many  hardships  and  dangers,  and  spent  some  time 
in  learning  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kruse,  a  missionary  from  the 
Church  Missionary  Society.  He  then  became  acquainted  with 
the  American  missionaries,  and  after  some  time  was  received 
into  the  Protestant  church  in  Cairo,  being  the  first  member  of 
that  church,  and  the  first  member  of  the  native  Protestant 
Church  of  Egypt.  He  was  afterwards  employed  in  the  mission 
work.  He  did  much  as  celporteur  in  Bible  distribution,  and 
spent  a  winter  or  two  with  the  late  Earl  and  Countess  of  Aber- 
deen in  their  work  on  the  Nile.  He  was  afterwards  (1866) 
called  by  the  congregation  of  Kus  to  become  its  pastor,  and  at 
his  own  request  was  reordained  February  10,  1867,  but  before 
he  was  installed,  circumstances,  persecutions,  and  afterwards 
divisions  in  the  church  arose  which  prevented  his  installation. 
He  was  stationed  as  preacher  in  connection  with  the  church 
at  Cairo.  He  had  an  excellent  memory,  and  was  very  well 
read  in  history,  especially  church  history.  He  was  a  faithful 
worker  and  friend,  and  a  man  full  of  faith  and  zeal  for  the  truth. 
He  died  May  24,  1883.  He  was  the  first  native  moderator  of  the 
presbytery  of  Egypt,  and  his  sermon  the  following  year  was  a 


366  The  American  Mission 

fine  exhibition  of  the  old  man's  historical  acquirements.  Rev. 
Makhiel's  name  was  the  first  name  of  a  native  pastor  placed  on 
presbytery's  roll,  and  for  sixteen  years  he  seldom  failed  to 
answer  to  the  call  of  the  clerk. 

Rev.  Girgis  Abeid,  who  was  a  graduate  of  Asyut  college 
and  the  theological  seminary,  and  a  classmate  of  Rev.  Shanooda 
Hanna,  was  licensed  March  26,  1875.  He  was  ordained  and 
installed  over  the  Ekhmim  congregation  April  7,  1882.  He  had 
previously  labored  at  various  places,  and  among  them  Cairo, 
Alexandria,  Bedari,  Mutiah  and  Tahta.  Before  the  first 
year  of  his  pastorate  was  finished,  he  was  compelled  to  seek 
medical  advice,  and  came  to  Cairo  to  one  of  the  hospitals, 
where,  after  lingering  for  a  time,  he  died  March  16,  1883,  in 
the  faith  which  he  preached  unto  others.  He  was  an  acceptable 
preacher  of  the  Gospel,  and  gave  promise  of  being  useful  to  his 
people,  but  the  Lord  took  him  to  Himself,  from  a  field  in  which 
he  was  greatly  needed. 

Others  were  noted  for  their  piety,  among  them  Makhiel 
Tadrus,  of  Erment,  one  of  the  most  pious  and  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  church. 

Another  was  Mancarius  Shehata,  who  was  held  in  high  es- 
teem by  the  brethren  in  Luxor  on  account  of  his  piety  and 
good  judgment,  and  who  was  their  first  choice  as  elder  when 
the  church  would  be  organized. 

New  church  organizations  from  January  i,  1880,  to  January 
I,  1885:  Azziyah  organized  March  7,  1880;  Abnub,  Decem- 
ber 4,  1880;  Mishta,  1881  ;  Luxor  and  Kurnah,  March  30, 
1882;  Kus,  April  3,  1882;  Ekhmim,  April  7,  1882;  Zarabi, 
July  18,  1882  ;    Meir,  April  8,  1883  ;    Beni  Adi,  April  9,   1883. 

New  pastorates  formed :  Ekhmim,  Rev.  Girgis  Abeid, 
April  7,  1882  ;  Luxor  and  Kurnah,  Rev.  B.  Dionysius,  May  i, 
1882;  Jawily,  Rev.  M.  Mazeeki,  April  9,  1882. 


IN   tGYPT.  367 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
FROM  JANUARY   I,  1 88 5,  TO  JANUARY   I,  189O. 

Comparative  statistics— Mission  force— New  missionaries— Political  condition 
—Fanatical  manifestations— Sickness  and  death  of  Rev.  Dr.  Hogg— Great  loss  to 
the  mission— Departure  of  his  wife  and  family  to  Scotland— Weakened  forces- 
Arrival  of  Rev.  G.  Anshalian  and  installation  as  pastor  in  Kus-Otlier  pastorates 
and  organizations— Accessions— Fruits— Nile  boat  work  by  Rev.  C.  March,  Key. 
J  Giffen  and  Rev.  J.  K.  Giffen— English  services  in  Cairo— Mission  premises  in 
Cairo  open  for  British  soldiers  for  temperance  and  religious  meetings— Mrs.  S.  B. 
Lansing's  sickness  and  death. 

COMPARATIVE  STATISTICS. 

Jmiuary  i,  1885.  January  i,  iSgo. 

10  Ordained  missionaries,  14 
I  Otiier  male  missionary,  o 
6  Unmarried  lady  missionaries,  9 

11  Married  ladies,  12 
6  Ordained  natives,  12 

30  Other  presbyterial  workers,  36 

19  Organized  churches,  29 

1,688  Church  members,  2,971 

3,114  Average  attendance  Sahbath  morning,  5,654 

$  3,91 1  '  Contributions  of  churches,  $  7.097 

45  Sabbath  schools,  98 

2,521  Sabbath  school  scholars,  4>427 

59  Week  day  schools,  100 

105  Teachers  in  same,  152 

5,005  Pupils,  6,304 

$10,916  Tuitions  and  boarding,  ;^I3>872 

8  Book  depots,  8 

21  Shopmen  and  colporteurs  23 

37,615  Volumes  sold,  3i>o67 

$8,385  Proceeds  of  sales,  $6,384 


368  The  American  Mission 

the  missionary  staff  on  january  i,  1 88 5. 

Alexandria.  Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing,  D.  D.,  and  wife,  and  Miss 
Mary  A.  Frazier. 

Monsurali.  Rev.  T.  J.  Finney  and  wife,  and  Miss  Isabella 
Strano;. 

Cairo.  Rev.  Messrs.  Dr.  Lansing,  Dr.  Watson  and  W. 
Har\ev,  and  their  wives,  Miss  M.  A.  Smith,  Miss  A.  G.  Thomp- 
son and  Miss  H.  M.  Connor. 

Asyiit.  Rev.  J.  Hogg,  D.  D.,  and  wife,  Rev.  J.  R.  Alex- 
ander, Rev.  John  Giffen,  and  Rev.  J.  K.  Giffen  and  their  wives. 
Miss  M.  J.  McKown,  Miss  E.  O.  Kyle  and  E.  E.  Lansing,  M.  D. 

Luxor.     Rev.  C.  Murch  and  wife. 

Nciv  missionaries  from  January  /,  i8Sj,  to  January  i, 
i8go.  Miss  A.  A.  Brown  and  Miss  Matilda  Strang  arrived  in 
Egypt,  November  i,  1885.  Located,  the  former  at  Luxor  and 
the  latter  at  Alexandria.  Miss  Jessie  J.  Hogg  was  appointed 
July  I,  1886,  to  the  boarding  school,  Asyut.  Rev.  H.  W.  Hogg, 
son  of  Dr.  Hogg,  reached  Egypt  on  December  29,  1887,  and 
was  located  at  Asyut  in  the  college.  Rev.  J.  O.  Ashenhurst 
reached  Egypt  November  7,  1887,  and  was  located  in  Cairo. 
Rev.  W.  M.  Nichol  and  wife  arrived  in  Egypt  November  19, 
1889,  and  were  located  in  Monsurah.  Rev.  E.  M.  Giffen  and 
wife  arrived  in  Egypt  November  19,  1889,  and  were  located  in 
Cairo.  Rev.  J.  Kruidenier  and  wife  arrived  in  Egypt  on  Decem- 
ber 12,  1889,  and  were  located  in  As\-ut. 

Moz'cmaits  of  missionaries.  Miss  Frazier  left  August  2, 
1886,  for  America,  and  returned  July  25,  1888.  Miss  Isabella 
Strang  returned  from  America  October  15,  1886.  Rev.  J.  R. 
Alexander  and  family  went  to  America  June  24,  1885,  and 
returned  November  i,  1886.  Rev.  J.  Giffen  and  family  left  for 
a  change  in  America,  March  16,  1888,  and  returned  October  9, 
1889,  and  were  located  in  Cairo.  Rev.  A.  Watson  and  family 
left  Egypt  for  a  vacation  in  America  on  May  4,  1889. 

FROM  JANUARY    I,   1 88 5,  to  JANUARY    I,   1890. 

This  period  of  five  years  commenced  with  the  political  ho- 
rizon under  the  dark  cloud  of  war  with  the  Mahdi.     Gordon 


Q 


IN  Egypt,  369 

Pasha,  not  realizing  the  great  change  which  had  taken  place 
during  his  absence  from  the  Sudan,  and  thinking  that  he  could 
easily  overcome  by  his  presence  the  rebellious  elements  at 
Khartum  and  the  neighboring  country,  had  gone  up  there  early 
in  1884,  in  opposition  to  the  opinion  of  some  who  had  better 
opportunity  to  understand  the  true  situation.  His  first  design 
was  to  deliver  the  Egyptian  garrisons,  to  relieve  Egyptian 
officials  of  their  functions,  and  to  put  Sudanese  in  their  place, 
to  lay  the  foundations  of  a  Sudanese  government,  and  thus 
draw  away  from  the  Mahdi  those  who  were  flocking  to  his 
standard.  He  thought  that  the  chief  cause  of  the  uprising  in 
the  Sudan  was  the  oppression  of  the  officials.  He  did  not  at 
first  know,  or  he  did  not  sufficiently  take  into  account,  the  relig- 
ious element  that  had  arisen,  strengthened,  and  extended  during 
his  absence,  so  that  it  became  the  all-prevailing  influence  that 
fired  the  souls  of  those  who  annihilated  Hicks  Pasha's  army, 
and  fought  like  demons  at  Abu  Klea,  Mettummah,  El  Teb  and 
Tamai.  He  had  not  been  long  in  Khartum,  however,  before  he 
became  aware  of  the  gravity  of  the  situation.  To  appease  the 
wrath  of  the  Sudanese  against  himself  for  his  previous  vigor- 
ous policy  of  punishment  of  the  slave  traders,  he  announced  in 
a  proclamation  "henceforth  nobody  will  interfere  with  you  in 
this  matter  "  (meaning  dealing  in  slaves),  "  but  every  one  for 
himself  may  take  a  man  into  his  service.  No  one  will  interfere 
with  him."  Subsequently  Gordon  Pasha  asked  for  Turkish 
troops  to  be  sent  to  settle  the  Sudan  and  the  Mahdi  forever. 
He  also  wanted  his  bitter  enemy,  Zubeir  Pasha,  to  be  sent  up 
to  quiet  the  Sudan.  Attempts  to  rout  the  Mahdi's  forces  at 
some  points  were  made  by  him  and  the  Egyptian  troops,  but 
with  great  loss,  Colonel  Stewart,  Gordon's  right  hand  man, 
being  wounded.  On  the  25th  of  June,  1884,  Berber  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Mahdi,  thus  removing  the  last  link  between 
Gordon  and  the  outer  world.  From  that  time  the  question  be- 
came how  to  save  Gordon,  not  how  to  rescue  the  Egyptian  gar- 
risons, and  it  was  clear  he  could  not  be  delivered  except  by  a 
British  force.  This,  after  much  hesitation,  was  determined 
upon,  and  the  relief  expedition  was  led  by  General  Wolseley 
himself. 
24 


370  THE   AMERICAN  MISSION 

It  is  out  of  my  province  to  follow  the  expedition  up  the 
Nile  and  describe  its  vicissitudes  and  hardships  and  hard-earned 
victories.  This  can  be  read  in  the  Egyptian  Campaigns,  by  Mr. 
Charles  Royle.  I  would,  however,  briefly  say  that  before  th.e 
beginning  of  1885  the  expedition  had  reached  Korti,  and  about 
the  8th  of  January  a  strong  column,  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Stewart,  set  out  for  Gakdul,  which  was  reached  on  the 
I2th,  Thence  they  advanced,  fought  and  gained  the  battle  of 
Metummah,  and  then  made  a  rush  on  to  Khartum  in  a  few 
steamers,  as  information  had  been  received  that  Gordon  was  in 
a  desperate  condition.  Various  accidents  occurred,  destroying 
some  of  the  steamers,  and  delaying  others,  and  on  the  26th  of 
January  those  on  board  heard  from  parties  on  shore  that  Khar- 
tum had  fallen  and  Gordon  was  killed,  and  two  days  later  Sir 
Charles  Wilson  came  to  the  conclusion,  on  approaching  the 
place,  that  the  news  was,  alas  !  too  true.  So  all  the  hardships, 
all  the  battles,  all  the  expense  failed  to  secure  the  end  in  view. 
If  the  relief  party  had  been  five  days  earlier  it  might  have  been 
otherwise.  But  it  is  my  humble  opinion,  that  had  Sir  Charles' 
party  reached  Khartum  and  seen  Gordon,  it  would  not  have 
helped  matters;  they  would  all  have  fallen  into  the  Mahdi's 
hands.  The  news  of  the  fall  of  Khartum  and  the  fate  of 'Gor- 
don were  not  the  only  incidents  that  engaged  the  thoughts  of 
the  public  in  Egypt  in  1885.  How  would  the  English  troops 
secure  a  safe  return  ?  Would  they  be  annihilated  by  the  vic- 
torious hordes  of  the  Mahdi  .?  And  then,  would  not  these  same 
hordes  come  rushing  down  on  the  rich  valley  of  Egypt?  And 
what  made  the  matter  much  worse  was  the  fact  that  many  in 
Egypt  among  the  mosque  party,  the  government  officials,  the 
merchants,  and  the  common  people,  were  believers  in  the  relig- 
ious claims  of  Ahmed  Muhammad.  Bitter  anti-Christian  senti- 
ments where  ever\\\here  heard,  and  although  there  was  a  strong 
garrison  in  Cairo  and  another  in  Alexandria,  yet  many  feared 
another  uprising  and  massacre.  By  means  of  a  pretended 
advance  of  British  troops  from  Suakin  on  the  Berber  road 
towards  the  Nile,  the  safe  return  of  the  Nile  expeditionary 
force  was  effected,  but  the  Mahdi  and  his  der\-ishes  continued 
to  threaten  Egypt  from  time  to  time.    Such  was  the  condition  of 


IN  Egypt.  371 

Egypt   politically   during  the  period  of  five  years  of  which  I 
am  now  writing. 

The  missionary  campaign,  however,  continued  and  its 
forces  grew  year  by  year.  All  the  departments  of  the  service 
were  better  equipped  at  the  beginning  of  1885  than  they  had 
ever  been  before.  There  were  twenty-eight  American  mission- 
aries, married  and  unmarried.  Six  native  pastors  not  only 
watched  over  and  ministered  to  their  own  special  flocks,  but 
also  from  time  to  time  were  going  out  to  the  villages  in  their 
neighborhood  to  sow  the  seed  of  the  Word.  There  were  thirty 
other  workers,  comprising  licentiates  and  theological  students 
and  others,  some  during  the  whole  year  and  some  during 
the  vacation  of  the  seminary  for  five  months,  acting  the 
part  of  local  preachers,  many  of  them  with  evident  accept- 
ability. There  were  105  teachers  in  the  fifty-nine  schools, 
giving  instruction  to  5,005  pupils  every  day.  There  were 
the  two  boarding  schools  for  girls,  one  in  Cairo  and  the 
other  in  Asyut,  under  the  management  of  missionary  ladies, 
the  Asyut  training  college,  with  its  strong  force  of  missionaries 
as  instructors,  assisted  by  efficient  natives  affording  the  best 
facilities  for  training  young  men  ;  the  theological  classes  in 
Cairo  and  in  Asyut ;  the  eight  book  depots  and  the  twenty-one 
shopmen  and  colporteurs  pushing  the  distribution  of  a  purify- 
ing, enlightening,  and  evangelizing  literature. 

Besides  all  these  agencies  and  influences  there  was  the 
work  among  the  girls  and  women  carried  on  in  the  schools  and 
in  the  homes  of  the  people  by  foreign  and  native  workers,  and 
the  evening  meetings  at  almost  every  station  where  there  were 
regular  laborers.  All  these  were  in  active  operation  from  the 
beginning  of  1885,  and  continued  and  increased  during  this 
period  of  five  years  until  they  became,  at  the  end  of  1889, 
what  appears  in  the  table  of  comparative  statistics  at  the  be- 
ginning of  this  chapter.  Opposition  there  was  at  many  points, 
but  it  was  generally  an  evidence  of  success  and  a  stimulus  to 
workers.  Persecution  was  the  lot  of  some  of  the  workers,  but 
it  was  overruled  for  good  to  the  cause  and  to  the  persons. 
Three  new  pastorates  were  formed  in  1885,  two  new  church 
organizations  completed,  and  many  new  stations  opened.     The 


372  The  American  Mission 

facts  and  figures  for  1885  were  being  gathered  and  arranged 
and  the  reports  being  written  in  preparation  for  meetings  of 
presbytery  and  Association  when  God's  heavy  hand  fell  upon 
the  mission  as  never  before. 

THE  SICKNESS  AND  DEATH  OF  DR.  HOGG. 

At  the  winter  meeting  of  Association  in  1885  Dr.  Hogg 
was  granted  permission  to  spend  the  following  summer  in  Scot- 
land, with  the  intention  that  he  use  as  much  of  his  time  as  pos- 
sible in  preparing  for  publication  a  greatly  needed  Christian 
literature.     He  returned  to  Egypt  early  in  October  and  was 
present  at  the  meeting  of  Association  held  in  Ramleh  on  Octo- 
ber 14.     The  winter  of  1885-86  he  spent  in  Asyut  giving  in- 
struction to  the  theological  students  and  members  of  the  senior 
class  in  college  on  religious  subjects,  going  out  on  Sabbaths 
occasionally  to  the  villages,  as  was  his  custom,  or  preaching  to 
the  students  of  the  college.     His  last  public  address  to  them 
was  a  stirring  appeal  on  the  question  of  personal  duty  to  work 
for  the  Master  from  the  text  i  Timothy  3:1,  "  If  a  man  desire 
the  office  of  a  bishop,  he  desireth  a  good  work."     During  later 
years  he  had  not  been  feeling  as  vigorous  as  formerly,  and  on 
about  February  10  he  was  taken  ill  with  the  malady  that  car- 
ried him  off.     He  suffered  intense  pain  during  his  illness.     The 
reports  we  received  in  Cairo  from  day  to  day  were  varied. 
One  day  he  was  better  and  another  worse.     It  never  once  oc- 
curred to  us  that  there  could  be  a  fatal  termination  to  his  dis- 
ease.    He  had  been  very  ill  several  times  and  recovered,  he 
had  a  strong  constitution ;  he  was  so  necessary,  in  our  estima- 
tion, to  the  work  of  the  Lord  in  Egypt,  that  it  never  entered 
our  minds  that  he  might  be  taken  from  us.     Only  when  a  tele- 
gram came  to  send  up  a  doctor  from  Cairo  for  consultation  did 
we  begin  to  feel  uneasy.    On  the  night  of  the  26th  of  February, 
on  our  return  from  performing  a  marriage  ceremony,  a  telegram 
awaited  us  saying,  "Dr.  Hogg's  condition  beyond  hope,"  but 
we  still  clung  to  the  idea  that  he  could  not  be  spared,  that  as 
long  as  there  is  life  there  is  hope,  in  this  case  especially.     A 
consultation  was  held  and  it  was  agreed  that  Brother  Harvey 


IN  EGYPT.  373 

and  I  should  go  up  to  Asy  Lit  the  next  day.     Thiswedid.    Itwasa 
long,  dusty  ride  at  any  time,  and  that  day  the  eleven  hours 
seemed  like  twenty-four,  and  we  arrived  at  Dr.  Hogg's  home 
just  two  hours  before  his  spirit  took  its  flight  to  that  glory  of 
which  he  had  spoken  so  often.     I  do  not  think  he  recognized  us 
at  all.     When  he  breathed  his  last,  Mrs.  Hogg  asked  that  one 
of  those  present  should  offer  prayer,  which  was  done  ;  but  how 
difficult  to  pray  under  such  circumstances  ?  How  difficult  it  was 
for  his  co-laborers  to  say,  "Thy  will  be  done."    How  much  more 
difficult  for  her  who  was  left  a  widow  with  a  large  family  to 
say,  "  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away,  blessed 
be  the  name  of  the  Lord."     Yet  no  one  among  all  who  were 
present  bore  up  under  the  affliction  as  Mrs.  Hogg  did.    She  was 
wonderfully  sustained  by  divine  grace.     The  question  came  up, 
"Where  shall  he   be  buried?"     Some   suggested,   and   even 
urged,  that  the  body  be  taken  to  Cairo  and  laid  in  the  American 
cemetery.     On  consulting  with  the  prominent  native  brethren 
they  all  wished  the  body  to  be  kept  in  the  place  where  it  had 
labored  so  long  and  so  successfully.     The  widow  readily  fell  in 
with  this  idea,  and  the  rest,  though  preferring  the  other  alter- 
native, made  no  objections.     We  were  then  informed  that  Mr. 
Wesa  Buktor,  a  warm  personal  friend  of  the  deceased,  and  a 
rich  man,  would  prepare  the  tomb,  and  bear  all  the  expenses 
of  the  funeral,  and  erect  a  monument.     The  death  occurred  on 
Saturday  night,  at  about  8:15.     At  the  regular  services  of  the 
Sabbath  morning  a  great  multitude  gathered.     Perhaps  nearly 
a  thousand  people  crowded  into  the  chapel,  while  a  large  num- 
ber remained  outside,     hi  the  midst  of  the  services  the  gov- 
ernor of  Asyut  with  his  suite  entered,  and  seats  were  given  up 
to  them.     The  funeral  services  in  the  afternoon  were  conducted 
by  the  pastor,  Rev.  Ibrahim  Yusif,  assisted  by  some  of  the 
missionaries.     The  governor  and  his  suite  were  again  present. 
The  church  was  packed  full,  and  the  large  open  space  at  the 
door  and  the  streets  on  each  side  were  crowded  with  people  of 
all  religions  and  nationalities,  Copts,  Muslims,  Greeks,  vieing 
with  Protestants  in  showing  their  respect  to  one  whose  good 
deeds  had  reached  men  of  every  class  and  condition.     At  the 
close  of  the  sermon,  and  by  request,  opportunity  was  given  to 


374  The  American  Mission 

the  people  to  look  for  the  last  time  on  the  placid  face  of  the 
great  and  good  man  who  had  done  so  much  and  labored  so  long 
in  their  midst.  As  the  throng  passed  by  in  order,  the  governor 
was  heard  to  say  to  one  of  his  attendants,  "  How  they  loved 
this  man  !  "  As  the  procession  formed  in  front  of  the  church  a 
company  of  British  soldiers,  detailed  for  the  purpose  by  the 
commander  of  the  garrison  in  Asyut,  aided  in  keeping  order  and 
prevented  the  crowd  from  wholly  blocking  the  narrow  streets. 
The  governor  and  his  attendants  showed  their  respect  for  the 
deceased  by  walking  to  the  city  limits.  They  were  followed 
by  a  long  procession  of  the  most  intelligent  and  wealthy  resi- 
dents of  Asyut,  and  many  from  the  surrounding  villages.  He 
was  buried  in  a  tomb  in  the  midst  of  a  sandy  desert,  just  be- 
tween the  rich  valley  of  the  Nile  and  the  western  hills,  and  a 
fine  mausoleum  of  white  marble  was  erected  over  it  by  his  gen- 
erous friend,  already  mentioned.  Dr.  J.  G.  Bliss,  in  writing 
to  the  New  York  Evangelist  of  Dr.  Hogg,  shortly  after  his 
death,  said  :  "  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  whole  land  is 
in  mourning  for  this  eminent  servant  of  God.  He  was  the  prince 
of  Bible  workers  in  this  land  of  darkness.  Few  are  the  places 
on  the  Nile  valley,  from  Aswan  to  Cairo,  where  his  voice  has 
not  been  lifted  up  for  God  and  Bible  truth.  For  more  than 
twenty  years  he  was  identified,  more  than  any  other  one,  with 
the  work  of  evangelism  in  upper  Egypt.  Thousands  heard  his 
earnest  words  and  were  moved  to  examine  the  Scriptures  to 
see  if  his  teachings  were  true.  One  cannot  contemplate  his 
work  in  its  various  characteristics  and  relations  without  being 
deeply  impressed  with  the  fact  that  his  was  a  large  faith, 
always  looking  upward  to  the  face  of  the  Master,  and  getting 
cheer  from  his  smiles.  No  self-seeking  surely  prompted  his 
long  journeying  up  and  down  the  Nile  in  the  well-known  Bible 
boat." 

His  death  came  upon  us  all  suddenly.  The  whole  mission 
was  astonished,  stunned,  and  dismayed.  The  native  brethren, 
from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other,  wept  as  for  a  father, 
while  many  were  so  disheartened  that  they  began  to  think 
that  the  cause  of  truth  was  lost.  In  some  places  the  people 
were  saved  from  utter  confusion  and  despair  by  the  historic 


IN  EGYPT.  375 

saying,  "  God  is  not  dead."  Some  of  the  older  members  of 
the  mission,  who  had  labored  with  him  for  many  years,  felt  the 
blow  very  keenly,  notably  Dr.  Lansing,  who  was  taken  seriously 
ill  and  was  obliged  to  take  a  change  to  England  for  a  few  months. 
Dr.  Hogg  was  ever  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  mission  army — nay, 
but  he  was  one  of  the  commanders-in-chief  ;  not  that  he  took  a 
comfortable  and  safe  position  and  only  issued  orders  to  others, 
but  he  led  them  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight.  Possessed  of  an 
iron  constitution,  he  did  an  amount  of  work  with  his  tongue  and 
with  his  pen  that  would  have  in  a  short  time  killed  most  other 
men.  Yes,  he  was  a  bright  and  shining  light  in  all  the  depart- 
ments of  missionary  life.  In  versatility  of  talents  he  had  no 
equal :  as  an  instructor  he  was  a  prince  ;  as  a  preacher,  earnest 
and  eloquent ;  as  a  writer  he  had  a  wonderful  flow  of  language, 
and  a  rich  abundance  of  precious  truths.  In  the  defence  of  the 
truth  and  Christianity  his  tongue  was  never  silent,  nor  his  pen 
dry.  Foremost  in  the  controversy  with  the  Plymouthites,  yet 
the  best  of  them  felt  when  he  died  that  they  had  lost  a  Christian 
brother  and  a  noble  fellow  worker  for  Christ  and  the  salvation 
of  souls.  The  churches,  especially  those  in  upper  Egypt,  felt 
they  had  lost  their  spiritual  father.  During  later  years  he  was 
relieved  almost  entirely  of  the  responsibility  of  the  Asyut  train- 
ing college,  through  the  intelligent  and  efficient  labors  of  his 
colleagues,  and  therefore  was  free  to  visit  and  strengthen  the 
small  as  well  as  large  companies  of  believers  at  various  places, 
and  preach  the  Gospel  at  new  places  whenever  the  Lord  opened 
the  door.  For  that  reason  he  was  ever  among  the  people,  and 
the  people  were  ever  looking  to  him,  and,  therefore,  when  he 
was  taken  away,  they  felt  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd. 

At  the  time,  Dr.  Lansing  wrote  as  follows  to  Dr.  Dales  : 
"  I  have  a  very  heavy  burden  of  news  to  communicate  to  you. 
Our  dear  brother.  Dr.  Hogg,  is  no  more  with  us— he  has  gone 
to  his  everlasting  reward.  He  has  entered  into  the  joy  of  the 
Lord.  *  *  *  And  what  shall  I  say  more.?  To  our  covenant 
God  I  wish  to  say,  *  I  am  dumb,  because  Thou  didst  it.'  We 
know  that  all  His  judgments  are  right,  and  that  it  is  only  in  love 
and  infinite  wisdom  that  He  afflicts  His  people.  In  reference  to 
the  Church  at  home  and  the  mission  work  in  this  land,  I  cannot 


376  The  American  Mission 

I 

attempt  to  describe  what  seems  to  us  the  irreparable  loss.  His 
praise  is  in  all  the  churches.  For  more  than  thirty  years  it  has 
been  his  privilege  and  delight,  with  indomitable  energy  and  de- 
votion, to  hold  up  the  standard  of  the  Cross  in  this  dark  land. 
We  all  said,  *  Truly,  God's  ways  are  not  as  man's  ways,  nor 
His  thoughts  as  man's  thoughts.'  We  take  comfort,  however, 
from  the  assurance  that  God  makes  no  mistakes,  and  what  we 
know  not  now  we  shall  know  hereafter.  We  thought  that  per- 
haps the  Lord  wished  to  show  what  He  could  do  through  the 
weak  ones  that  were  left,  for  all  felt  it  would  be  a  long  time 
before  there  would  be  another  on  the  field  possessing  so  many 
qualifications  for  the  work — of  great  mental  ability,  scholarly, 
of  strong  faith,  earnest,  fearless,  self-denying,  able  to  do  any- 
thing, ready  to  do  anything,  willing  to  bear  anything  and  to  go 
anywhere  in  the  Master's  service.  Oh  !  how  we  missed  him 
and  continue  to  miss  him." 

After  the  funeral  the  people  from  the  town  of  Asyut,  and 
from  many  places  on  the  Nile  valley,  called  to  show  their  sym- 
pathy with  the  widow  and  the  children.  Often  they  could  say 
nothing,  they  were  so  deeply  affected  ;  but  she  was  ever  ready 
with  a  word  of  comfort  to  them.  They  learned  to  admire,  almost 
to  adore,  her  for  her  resignation  and  piety.  It  soon  became  clear 
to  herself  that  with  such  a  family  to  rear  and  train  up  for  useful- 
ness she  must  return  to  her  native  land,  where  opportunities  for 
Christian  education  were  abundant.  The  natives  greatly  pre- 
ferred that  she  remain  in  Asyut,  and  some  of  the  wealthy  ones 
would  have  undertaken  her  support.  The  decision,  however, 
was  taken  wisely,  and  she  left  the  scene  of  her  husband's  labors 
and  his  resting  place  with  regret,  and  took  up  her  residence  in 
Edinburgh,  Scotland,  in  order  to  give  her  children  the  advantages 
of  education  and  Christian  training  which  this  metropolis 
abundantly  affords. 

Presbytery  met  at  Sinorisfour  days  after  Dr.  Hogg's  death. 
A  feeling  of  irreparable  loss  filled  the  heart  of  every  member, 
and  a  sense  of  utter  helplessness  manifested  itself  in  every 
prayer.  A  sense  of  duty  to  Christ  and  His  Church  and  cause, 
and  God's  special  grace,  gradually  aided  them  in  overcoming 
their  deep  sorrow,  and  in  trying  to  do  their  utmost  to  aid  the 


Pu 


IN  Egypt.  377 

native  brethren.  A  circular  letter  was  prepared  in  Arabic  and 
sent  to  all  the  stations.  The  principal  thought  in  this  circular 
was  taken  from  God's  command  to  Joshua  upon  the  death  of 
Moses,  "  Moses  my  servant  is  dead,  now  therefore  go  over  this 
Jordan,  thou,  and  all  this  people,  unto  the  land  which  I  do  give 
to  them.  *  *  *  Be  strong,  and  be  of  good  courage,  be  not 
afraid,  neither  be  thou  dismayed,  for  the  Lord  thy  God  is  with 
thee  whithersoever  thou  goest." 

The  missionary  force,  at  first  stunned,  and  then  weakened, 
by  the  death  of  Dr.  Hogg,  was  still  further  weakened  by  the 
illness  of  Dr.  Lansing,  in  1886,  and  his  increased  inability  for 
work  from  that  time  ;  also  by  the  illness  of  the  writer,  during 
two  months  in  the  autumn  of  1887,  and  the  absence  of  Rev. 
J.  R.  Alexander,  during  the  greater  part  of  1885-86.  Rev.  J. 
Giffen  was  absent  also  from  the  field  for  a  year  and  a  half  in 
1888-89.  Notwithstanding  the  weakness  of  the  veteran  forces, 
there  was  a  large  addition  of  new  recruits  during  this  period, 
who,  though  unable  to  use  the  Arabic  language  for  some  time, 
yet  all  of  them  were  helping  in  various  ways  and  preparing  for 
active  service  in  evangelistic  work  in  the  near  future.  The 
native  forces  continued  to  increase  year  by  year.  Rev.  G. 
Anshalian,  for  twelve  years  a  pastor  in  eastern  Turkey,  and 
subsequently  for  a  time  a  student  in  Xenia  Seminary,  arrived 
in  Egypt  in  November,  1885,  spent  the  winter  of  1885-86  in 
visiting  the  native  churches  from  Alexandria  to  Esna,  and  was 
everywhere  warmly  received  by  the  people.  Several  of  the 
congregations  expressed  a  desire  to  have  him  as  pastor,  and  a 
call  being  made  out  for  him  by  the  large  congregation  of  Kus, 
he  accepted  it  and  was  installed  there  April  27,  1886.  After 
making  a  short  visit  to  his  native  land,  he  brought  back  his 
family  with  him  in  the  autumn  of  that  year,  and  entered  upon 
his  duties  in  the  large  field  to  which  he  had  been  chosen.  Rev. 
Ibrahim  Tanyus  was  called  by  the  congregation  of  his  own 
village,  Mutiah,  and  the  neighboring  village,  Bagore,  in  March, 
1885,  and  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  in  March  of  that 
year.  Rev.  Bashai  Makhiel  was  called  by  the  congregation  of 
Beni  Adi,  and  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  in  March,  1885. 
Rev.  Hanna  Bishai  was  called  by  the  congregation  of  Minya, 


3/8  The  American  Mission 

and  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  in  November,  the  same 
year.  Rev.  Gabrail  Yusif  accepted  a  call  from  the  congregation 
of  Sanhore,  in  the  district  of  the  Faiyum,  and  was  ordained  and 
installed  in  1887.  Rev.  Aweida  Abd  es-Shahid  was  called  t«» 
the  united  congregation  of  Luxor  and  Kurnah,  and  was  ordained 
and  installed  on  March  i,  1889.  Rev.  Benjamin  Famm  was 
ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  Abutig  congregation  in  1889, 
and  Rev.  Tadros  Hanna,  over  the  congregation  of  Meilawi,  on 
September  i,  1889. 

New  organizations  were  effected  as  follows  :  Minya  and 
Azaimah,  in  1885  ;  Sanhur,  in  1886;  Beyadia,  in  1887;  Abutig, 
in  1888  ;  Hore,  Dair  el-Ganadleh,  Sanabu,  in  1889.  Many  new 
stations  were  opened  during  this  period,  among  them  Zakazik, 
Bilkas,  Mit  Ghamr,  Suft  el-Laben,  Zawiyet  el-Amwat,  Sarak- 
nah,  Dakuf,  Kena,  BeniShakeir,  Beni  Mohammad.  It  was  then, 
too,  that  many  villages  in  tiie  neighborhood  of  El-Kom  el-Akhdar 
were  opened  to  the  Gospel.  On  one  occasion  the  writer 
preached  in  El-Kom  to  over  450  persons,  from  over  thirty  towns 
and  villages,  and  seventeen  new  members  were  received  at  one 
time.  Later,  Dr.  Harvey  visited  the  same  place,  and  had  a 
very  interesting  time.  There  were  present  at  the  morning 
service  694  persons,  and  600  in  the  afternoon.  Eleven  men 
and  five  women  were  received  into  church  fellowship.  Sharunah, 
in  which  our  faithful  worker  was  beaten,  and  from  which  he 
was  expelled  and  forbidden  to  return  two  years  before,  was  re- 
opened to  the  Gospel  in  1885.  Very  interesting  and  encourag- 
ing work  was  carried  on  at  that  time,  too,  at  Abu  Kerkas  and 
Menhari,  where  the  Lord  opened  a  wide  door.  Into  it  the  Plym- 
outhites  tried  to  enter,  but  were  compelled  to  withdraw  after  a 
public  discussion  between  their  leader.  Rev.  Girgis  Raphail,  and 
one  of  our  blind  evangelists.  Marked  success  followed  the 
preaching  of  the  Word,  and  an  increasing  number  was  added  to 
the  Church  throughout  Eg\pt  year  to  year,  viz.:  In  1885,  there 
were  added  103  :  in  1886,246;  in  1887,  384;  in  1888,  379;  in 
1889,  464.  Total,  1,576.  The  contributions  of  the  native 
churches  were:  In  1885,  $4,726;  in  1886,  $5,043;  in  1887. 
$6,422;  in  1888,  $6,974;  in  1889,  $6,495.  Total  in  fl\e 
y.-ars,  $29,660. 


IN   EGYPT.  379 

It  was  during  this  peri(jd  that  Rev.  Dr.  T.  McCa^ue,  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  mission,  visited  Egypt  and  made  a  tour 
through  the  Nile  valley  up  as  far  as  Aswan.  His  visit  was  un- 
dertaken in  consequence  of  an  intense  desire  to  see  the  mission 
work  after  an  absence  of  twent)'-six  years.  He  stopped  at 
most  of  the  ciiief  stations,  and  became  an  eye-witness  of  the 
various  operations  of  the  mission.  He  addressed  some  of  the 
congregations  through  an  interpreter,  and  sometimes  as  best  he 
could,  after  twenty-six  years'  absence,  in  Arabic.  All  were 
deliglited  to  see  him.  His  impressions  were  given  to  the  Church 
at  the  time  in  letters  published  in  TJic  United  rrcsbytcrian,  and 
entitled  "  Egypt  Revisited,"  from  which  I  have  taken  some  of 
the  facts  of  tliis  history.  It  evidently  gave  him  great  pleasure 
to  see  what  the  Lord  had  done  since  he  left,  and  how  much 
Egypt  had  improved  in  many  ways.  We  would  all  have  re- 
joiced to  have  had  him  remain  and  help  in  the  work,  but  no  one 
felt  like  urging  him,  at  his  advanced  age,  to  attempt  to  re-master 
the  difficult  language.  All  honor  to  him  and  his  colleague,  who 
laid  the  foundations  of  the  mission  at  a  time  when  to  be  a  foreign 
missionary  meant  much  more  sacrifice  than  it  does  now. 

NILE   BOAT  WORK. 

This  work  was  still  continued  during  this  period,  but  the 
older  missionaries  gradually  ga\-e  place  to  younger  men  in 
carrying  it  on.  Dr.  Hogg  made  his  last  trip  during  the  winter 
of  1884-85.  Nothing  seems  to  have  been  done  in  1886  except 
by  Brother  Murch  in  the  district  of  Upper  Thebaid.  The 
"  Ibis,"  having  become  unsea worthy,  was  thoroughly  over- 
hauled by  means  of  contributions  from  the  Sabbath  schools  of 
our  Church  in  America.  The  writer  of  the  report  for  1887 
very  briefly  said,  **  We  know  of  no  investment  in  mission 
property  which  has  been  more  profitable  than  the  money  in- 
vested in  this  boat.  For  about  twenty-seven  years  it  has  car- 
ried the  missionaries  up  and  down  the  river  as  they  distributed 
the  Scriptures  and  preached  the  Gospel.  It  formed  at  once  the 
means  of  transportation  and  dwelling  for  the  missionary  and  his 
family,  and  a  place  of  worship  in  which  meetings  were  held. 


38o  The  American  Mission 

It  has  n(»\v  renewed  its  youth  and  did  good  service  last  year. 
Rev.  John  Giffen,  by  its  means,  scattered  the  seed  in  April  and 
May  between  Asyut  and  Aswan,  a  distance  of  about  324  miles, 
and  from  September  to  December  between  Feshn  and  Kena,  a 
distance  of  about  164  miles.  On  these  two  journeys  he  visited 
sixty-four  towns  and  villages,  in  sixty  of  which  he  conducted 
from  one  to  five  meetings.  In  fourteen  he  dispensed  the  Lord's 
Supper  and  received  fifty-two  persons  into  church  communion 
on  profession  of  their  faith.  He  also  baptized  thirty-six 
children."  No  one,  who  has  not  had  an  experience  of  a  trip 
of  that  kind,  can  imagine  the  trials  and  annoyances  connected 
with  it,  nor  can  he  measure  the  amount  of  good  done  by  it. 
Brother  Harvey  went  down  the  river  in  the  "  Ibis  "  during  the 
summer  of  1887  and  visited  many  places  on  the  banks  of  its 
eastern  branch.  Opportunities  for  religious  conversation  and 
friendly  discussion  were  had  at  various  towns  and  villages. 
The  chief  places  visited  were :  Abu  el-Ghait,  Benha,  Tanta, 
Mit  Ghamr,  Zeifta,  Tafahany,  Samanud,  Monsurah,  Belamun, 
Faraskur,  Shirbin  and  Damietta.  Seldom  had  the  "  Ibis  "  gone 
down  the  Nile,  and  therefore  the  places  visited  were  very 
needy.  Doubtless  some  seed  was  then  sown  that  took  root 
and  produced  the  harvest  now  being  reaped  by  Brother  Finney 
in  tliat  region.  In  August,  1888,  Rev.  J.  K.  Giffen  was 
appointed  to  special  evangelistic  work,  and  the  latter  part  of 
September  he  took  the  Nile  boat  and  went  to  Ekhmim,  visiting 
on  the  return  trip  all  the  places  in  which  there  was  any  work 
going  on  at  that  time,  until  he  reached  Asyut.  Then  from 
Asyut  he  went  north  to  Sharunah,  opposite  Maghagha,  and  vis- 
ited all  the  towns  and  villages  in  close  proximity  to  the  river  as 
far  as  Asyut.  After  the  meeting  of  presbytery  at  Kus,  in  the 
spring  of  1889,  he  went  to  Luxor  and  assisted  in  the  ordination 
and  installation  of  Rev.  Aweida  Abd  el-Shahid  as  pastor  over 
the  united  congregations  of  Luxor  and  Kurnah.  From  there,  in 
company  w  ith  Mr.  Murch,  he  went  to  Aswan  and  visited  ail  the 
stations  between  that  place  and  Luxor.  He  visited  eighty- 
three  towns  where  mission  work  was  being  carried  on  ; 
preached  238  times  ;  dispensed  the  Lord's  Supper  thirty-nine 
times ;  baptized  sixty-one  children  and  married  seven  couples. 


IN  Egypt.  381 

Rev.  Chauncey  Murch,  on  leaving  Luxor  for  the  north  during 
1889,  spent  a  considerable  time  in  visiting  a  number  of  places 
on  the  passage  down  the  river  to  Cairo  ;  and  on  his  return  trip 
in  October  he  revisited  some  of  these  places,  and  visited 
others.  Much  good  was  accomplished  among  the  women  by 
Miss  Smith's  and  Mrs.  Murch's  visits  to  them  at  the  various 
places  at  which  they  stopped. 

ENGLISH  SERVICES  IN  CAIRO. 

Very  little  has  been  said  in  this  history  of  the  work  done 
in  Cairo  among  the  English-speaking  people,  whether  residents 
or  travelers.  An  English  service  has  been  kept  up  during 
nearly  the  whole  history  of  the  mission,  entailing  a  good  deal  of 
labor  on  the  missionaries,  as  they  were  obliged  to  make  special 
preparation  for  addressing  the  intelligent  audiences  generally 
present,  for  both  residents  and  travelers  are  generally  those 
who  have  received  a  liberal  education,  and  are  accustomed  to 
listen  to  well-prepared  discourses.  These  services  have  also 
been  conducted  in  turn  by  the  missionaries  in  Cairo,  with  the 
assistance  of  any  ministers  of  the  Word  who  could  be  secured. 
In  this  way  the  missionaries  have  often  been  permitted  to  enjoy 
and  profit  by  the  services  of  many  noted  work'ers  for  Christ 
passing  through  Egypt.  Since  the  Arabi  rebellion  the  need  of 
English  services  in  Presbyterian  forms  became  more  pressing. 
Soon  after  the  British  troops  entered  the  city  many  of  them 
called  upon  the  missionaries,  by  whom  they  were  welcomed  as 
strangers  in  a  foreign  land  needing  Christian  help,  sympathy 
and  counsel.  The  temperance  men  early  sought  out  our  prem- 
ises, desirous  of  finding  some  center  in  which  they  could  meet 
to  continue  their  campaign  against  the  greatest  enemy  of  the 
Christian  race.  The  Presbyterian  and  Wesleyan  chaplains  also 
sought  a  place  in  which  to  conduct  religious  services  on  the 
Lord's  day.  Arrangements  were  made  by  the  Presbyterian 
chaplain  to  the  British  forces  and  the  missionaries  to  have  the 
parade  service  of  the  Forty-second  Highland  regiment  held  in 
the  mission  church  at  eleven  o'clock  A.  A\.  Soon  after  this  a 
voluntary  service  at  six  P.  M.  was  commenced,  which  has  been 


382  The  American  Mission 

continued  ever  since.  Both  these  services  were  conducted  in 
turn  by  the  chaplain  and  missionaries.  CiviHans,  officers  and 
men  from  different  regiments,  representing  the  three  denomina- 
tions, Presbyterian,  Episcopalian  and  Wesleyan,  have  attended 
the  evening  service.  But  the  morning  service  was  attended  by 
only  civilians  and  Presbyterian  troops.  It  was  a  grand  sight  to 
see  those  strong-bodied  Highlanders,  in  their  parade  kilts,  march 
into  the  church,  and  when  they  joined  in  singing  the  twenty- 
third  Psalm  or  the  one  hundredth,  or  some  other  well-known 
Psalm,  the  sound  was  like  the  resounding  sea.  A  weekly 
union  prayer-meeting  was  started  in  July,  1883,  in  Mrs.  Har- 
vey's parlor,  at  which  from  twenty  to  forty  soldiers  for  several 
years  attended,  as  well  as  many  civilians.  This  prayer-meet- 
ing is  remembered  by  hundreds  who  are  now  scattered  over  the 
face  of  the  earth,  as  letters  from  them  testify.  It  continues  to  be 
a  blessing  to  the  missionaries,  as  well  as  to  many  others.  Mrs. 
Harvey  has  left  her  parlor  open  for  Christian  soldiers  all  these 
years,  and  she,  Miss  Thompson,  and  others,  have  had  a  good 
influence  over  them,  and  have  been  the  means  of  keeping  some 
of  them  from  the  paths  of  sin,  and  leading  them  in  the  way  of 
godliness  and  purity.  Only  the  last  day  can  reveal  the  amount 
of  good  done  in  this  quiet  way. 

The  last  year  of  this  period  brought  its  burden  of  sorrow 
to  the  mission.  Early  in  the  year  Mrs.  Watson  was  in  ex- 
treme danger  from  illness,  but  recovered  sufficiently  to  be  able 
to  leave  for  America  in  the  spring,  where  she  was  completely 
restored. 

In  the  spring  of  1889,  Rev.  Ibrahim  Yusif  passed  through 
Cairo  on  his  way  to  the  German  hospital  in  Alexandria,  to  be 
treated  for  a  malady  from  which  he  had  been  apparently  cured 
some  years  before,  but  which  returned  with  increased  severity 
He  seemed  utterly  broken  down,  and  spoke  hopelessly  about 
his  trouble.  In  a  brief  time  his  disease  increased  and  he  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus,  and  was  delivered  from  long  bodily  pains.  He 
became  pastor  of  the  Asyut  congregation  in  1879,  after  having 
served  it  as  stated  supply  for  some  years.  He  was  often 
spoken  of  as  like  the  beloved  disciple  John.  He  was  among  the 
first  converts  and  first  workers,  and  served  the  Lord  as  teacher, 


IN  EGYPT.  383 

evangelist,  and  preacher  about  thirty  years.  He  was  con- 
verted in  1859,  under  the  ministration  of  Rev.  Drs.  Barnett 
and  McCague.  He  was  very  intimate  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lan- 
sing. 

It  seems  appropriate,  in  this  connection,  to  record  Mrs.  Lans- 
ing's death.  This  occurred  at  half  past  eight  o'clock  on  the  even- 
ing of  Tuesday,  November  26,  1889.  During  the  last  years  of 
her  life  she  was  a  great  sufferer,  though  the  church  and  general 
public  knew  little  about  it,  yet  during  all  her  affliction,  which 
was  intensified  by  her  delicate,  nervous  constitution  and  gen- 
eral bodily  debility,  she  never  lost  her  interest  in  the  mission 
work.  In  April,  1889,  in  passing  along  the  hall  of  the  board- 
ing school,  and  not  noticing  a  step  that  was  before  her,  she 
suddenly  fell,  was  taken  up  helpless  from  a  severe  bruise  or 
fracture  of  the  hip-bone,  and  for  months  lay  upon  the  bed,  the 
calm  and  uncomplaining  victim  of  much  excruciating  pain. 
At  length  she  rallied  and  became  able  to  move  around  with  a 
crutch,  and  then  with  only  a  cane.  In  this  condition  and  in  the 
enfeebled  state  of  health  of  both  her  husband  and  their  son. 
Dr.  J.  McC.  Lansing,  she  went  to  Alexandria,  saw  them  sail 
(at  the  urgent  advice  of  their  physicians),  for  Constantinople 
and  then  she  returned  to  Cairo.  On  the  next  day,  the  9th  of 
November,  she  was  attacked  with  catarrh  of  the  bowels,  and 
thence  for  seventeen  days  endured  the  severest  sufferings  as 
the  disease  ran  its  fatal  course.  Her  great  desire  was  to  live 
until  her  husband  and  his  son  (who  had  been  summoned  by 
wire)  would  arrive.  Her  desires  and  prayers  were  wonder- 
fully granted.  Twenty-four  hours  before  she  departed  they 
reached  her.  "  Bless  the  Lord,  bless  the  Lord,"  was  her  re- 
peated cry  as  they  came  in.  Most  tender  and  touching  were 
the  hours  that  followed.  Calmly,  though  in  great  weakness, 
she  talked  of  her  departure,  disposed  of  many  objects  of  inter- 
est, sent  parting  messages  to  dear  ones  far  away,  and  gave 
loving  and  faithful  exhortations  to  natives  around  her.  To  a 
young  missionary  she  said,  "  Live  for  the  Lord,  live  for  Christ, 
dear  brother.  Preach  Christ  in  a  plain,  simple  manner  to  these 
poor  people."  As  the  last  verse  of  the  twenty-third  Psalm 
was  sung,  and  a  portion  of  the  Revelation  21  read,  and  a  fervent 


384  The  American  Mission 

prayer  offered  by  one  of  the  missionary  brethren,  she  softly 
but  distinctly  said,  "Amen."  This  was  her  last  word.  The 
struggle  was  over.  All  was  peace.  The  spirit  had  flown  to 
realms  of  light  and  joy.  On  the  following  day  a  large  company 
gathered  at  the  mission  house.  Persons  of  various  nationalities, 
religions,  and  conditions  assembled  to  pay  their  respects  to  the 
honored  dead.  Services  were  conducted  partly  in  Arabic  and 
partly  in  English  by  Rev.  Messrs.  Wm.  Harvey  and  J.  K.  Giffen, 
and  then  the  funeral  throng  followed  the  last  remains  of  Mrs.  S. 
B.  Lansing,  nee  S.  B.  Dales,  to  the  American  cemetery  at  Old 
Cairo,  where  she  was  laid,  at  her  own  request,  under  the 
acacia  tree  and  by  the  side  of  Mrs.  Mary  E.  G.  Giffen  to  await 
the  glorious  resurrection  morn. 

She  will  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  knew  her.     She 
was  in  heart  and  soul  a  missionary,  and  loved  the  mission  cause 
and  the  mission  work.     Whether  entertaining  travelers,  whom 
her  attractive  manners  and   wide  acquaintance  through    long 
connection  with  the  mission  drew  to  her  house,  or  making  re- 
turn calls  on  them  at  the  hotels,  or  meeting  with  people  during 
her  sojourn  in  Great  Britian,  which  she  had  several  times  visited, 
the  subject  of   her  conversation  was  the  work  of  Christ  in 
Egypt.     To   secure   their   interest    in    it,  their  support,  good 
wishes  and  prayers  for  it,  was   her    great   aim.     Sometimes, 
when  scarcely  able  to  drag  herself  from  one  room  to  another, 
she  would  receive  callers  and  entertain  them  with  glowing  ac- 
counts of  the  mission  work  carried  on  in  the  Nile  valley,  while 
they  would  never  suspect  how  feeble  she  was,  but  would  go 
away  charmed  with  her  conversation,  and  often  influenced  to 
do  something  to  help  on  the  good  cause.     In  the  missionary 
tours  up  and  down  the  Nile  valley,  in  company  with  her  hus- 
band, she  was  always  deeply  interested,  and  whenever  her 
health  would  permit  she  was  accustomed  to  search   out   the 
women,  read  and  talk  to  them,  and  pray  with  them,  while  he 
was  engaged  with  the  men.     She  was  a  true  helper  to  her  hus- 
band, taking  a  deep  interest  in  all  his  plans  and  work,  and  aid' 
ing  him  often  beyond  what  her  physical  state  permitted.     We 
will  remember  her  as  an  earnest  pioneer  missionary,  u'hose 
letters,  so  fervent  and  graphic,  roused  the  Church  in  those 


IN  Egypt.  ^85 

early  days  to  a  deeper  interest  and  larger  participation  in  for- 
eign mission  work  ;  we  will  remember  her  as  a  life-long  mis- 
sionary, whose  intense  interest  in  Egypt's  evangelization 
and  the  salvation  of  the  Egyptians  remained  unabated  to  the 
last. 


386  The  American  Mission 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

FROM  JANUARY  I,  1890,  TO  JANUARY  I,  1 895. 

Comparative  statistics — Missionary  staff,  January  i,  1890,  and  location — 
Movements  of  missionaries  during  the  period — New  missionaries — New  pastor- 
ates and  new  installments — New  organizations— Work  on  the  Nile  by  Rev.  J.  K. 
Giffen,  Rev.  C.  Murch,  Dr.  Harvey,  Rev.  J.  O.  Ashenhurst,  Rev.  T.  J.  Finney— 
Interesting  spiritual  movement  at  Nakheilah — Effect  of  mission  work  on  Coptic 
sect— Special  efforts  at  reform  in  the  period — Division  in  Coptic  sect— Ban- 
ishment and  return  of  the  Patriarch — Religious  newspaper  started  —  Med- 
icaf  department — New  premises — Death  of  Uncle  Fam — Death  of  Mrs.  W.  M. 
Nichol — Death  of  Dr.  G.  Lansing,  his  character  and  work— Death  of  Dr.  J.  B. 
Dales— Departure  of  Miss  M.  J.  McKown— Her  work— New  missionaries  in  1895 
and  1896 — New  pastorates— New  organizations— These  years  remembered  in  con- 
nection with  Turkish  atrocities  in  Armenia — Murder  of  Rev.  Girgis  Anshalian — 
Breaking  out  of  cholera  and  its  widespread  ravages — Death  of  Rev.  Iskaros 
Masud  and  Mrs.  Strang — Division  of  the  field  into  six  districts— Statistics  on 
January  i,  1897— Other  missions  in  Egypt. 

COMPARATIVE   STATISTICS. 

Ja7i.  7,  i8go.  Period  of  five  years.  Jan.  i,  i8g^. 

14  Ordained  missionaries,  15 

o  Other  male  missionary,  i 

9  Unmarried  lady  missionaries,  8 

12  Married  ladies,  16 

12  Ordained  natives,  19 

36  Other  presbyterial  workers,  39 

29  Organized  churches,  33 

2,971  Church  members,  4>554 

5,654  Average  attendance  Sabbath  morning,         8,886 

i^7>097  Contributions  from  churches,  1^11,431 

98  Sabbath  schools,  no 

4,427  Sabbath  school  scholars,  5.365 

100  Week  day  schools,  119 

152  Teachers  in  same,  195 

6,304  Pupils  in  same,  7/975 


IN  Egypt.  387 

;^I3, 872  Tuitions  and  boarding,  collected,  1^15,725 

8  Book  depositories,  7 

23  Shopmen  and  colporteurs,  33 

31,067  Volumes  sold,  49>397 

$6,384  Proceeds  of  sales,  $10,313 

o  Attendance,  night  meetings,  3,722 

151  Number  of  stations,  167 

MISSIONARY  STAFF  ON  JANUARY  I,  1890. 

Alexandria.     Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing,  D.  D.,  Miss  M.  A.  Frazier. 

Cairo.  Rev.  G.  Lansing,  D.  D.,  Rev.  W.  Harvey,  D.  D., 
and  wife.  Rev.  John  Giffen  and  wife,  Rev.  J.  O.  Ashenhurst, 
Rev.  E.  M.  Giffen  and  wife ;  Misses  A.  A.  Brown,  H.  M.  Con- 
ner, M.  A.  Smith,  A.  Y.  Thompson. 

Asyut.  Rev.  Messrs.  J.  R.  Alexander,  J.  K.  Giffen  and  J. 
Kruidenier  and  their  wives,  and  Rev.  H.  W.  Hogg;  Misses  E. 
O.  Kyle,  J.  J.  Hogg  and  M.  J.  McKown. 

Mojisurah.  Rev.  T.  J.  Finney  and  wife,  Rev.  W.  M. 
Nichol,  and  Miss  M.  Strang. 

Movements  during  the  period.  Rev.  G.  Lansing,  D.  D., 
and  Rev.  W.  Harvey  and  wife,  and  Miss  Thompson  went 
to  America  for  a  change  in  1890,  and  returned  in  1891, 
in  the  autumn.  Rev.  A.  Watson,  D.  D.,  and  wife  returned 
to  Egypt  in  the  autumn  of  1890.  Rev.  J.  K.  Giffen  and 
family  went  to  America  for  a  furlough  in  the  spring  of  1891, 
and  returned  in  the  autumn  of  1892.  Misses  M.  A.  Smith, 
E.  O.  Kyle  and  H.  M.  Conner  went  to  America  on  furlough 
during  the  summer  of  1891,  and  the  first  two  returned  to 
Egypt  in  the  autumn  of  1892.  Rev.  Chauncey  Murch  and  wife 
went  to  America  on  furlough  in  the  spring  of  1893,  and  returned 
to  Egypt  in  the  autumn  of  1894.  Rev.  T.  J.  Finney  and  family 
went  to  America  on  furlough  in  the  spring  of  1892,  and  returned 
in  the  autumn  of  1893.  Miss  M.  A.  Frazier  resigned  in  the 
autumn  of  1893,  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  immediately  left 
for  America.  Rev.  H.  W.  Hogg  resigned  under  date  September 
23,  1893,  and  left  the  mission  at  the  end  of  May,  1894.  Miss 
Matilda  Strang  resigned  her  connection  with  the  mission,  and 


388  The  American  Mission 

returned  to  America  in  the  spring  of  1894,  and  was  soon  after 
anited  in  marriage  with  Rev.  Mr.  Hyde.  Rev.  J.  O.  Ashen- 
hurst  and  wife  left  Egypt  on  furlough  on  April  i,  1895. 

Nczu  missionaries  during  i8po-c)^.  Miss  Mary  E.  Work 
joined  the  m.ission  in  the  autumn  of  1890,  and  for  a  time  was 
located  in  Cairo,  and  subsequently  in  Asyut.  L.  M.  Henry,  M. 
D./and  wife  and  two  children  joined  the  mission  in  the  autumn 
of  1891.  Revs.  S.  G.  Hart  and  K.  W.  McFarland  and  their 
wives,  and  Misses  A.  E.  Jamieson  and  L.  J.  McDowell  joined 
the  mission  forces  about  the  end  of  1892.  Miss  Carrie  M.  Bu- 
chanan joined  the  mission  in  the  autumn  of  1893.  Rev.  J.  P. 
White,  M.  D.,  and  wife,  and  Misses  Minnehaha  Finney  and 
Grace  Biown  joined  the  mission  towards  the  close  of  1894. 

During  this  period  three  new  mission  centers  were  estab- 
lished in  the  delta.  One  at  Tanta,  in  1893,  with  Rev.  J.  K. 
Giffen  as  missionary;  the  other  two  in  1894,  viz.^  Benha,  with 
Rev.  Chauncey  Murch  as  missionary,  and  Zakazik,  with  Rev. 
J.  Kruidenier  as  missionary.  These  three  centers  and  Monsu- 
rah,  formerly  occupied,  if  properly  manned,  by  additional  mis- 
sionaries, male,  fem.ale  and  native  assistants,  for  work  in  the 
surrounding  towns  and  villages,  will  sufficiently  supply  the 
needs  of  the  delta  as  mission  centers  for  some  time  to  come. 

Nczo  pastorates  aiid  installations.  Rev.  Boulas  Makhiel, 
over  Hore  in  1890,  Rev.  Bulus  Abd  es-Shahid  over  Ekhmim, 
1893  ,  Rev.  Shahata  [Abd  es-Shahid  over  Mellawi,  1893  ;  Rev. 
Maawid  Hanna  over  Asyut,  1893  5  R^v.  Makhiel  Takla  over 
AbuKerkas,  1893;  Rev.  Sueres  Makhiel  over  Daweir,  1894.  In 
the  autumn  of  1893,  Mr.  Moosa  Ibrahim,  one  of  the  mission  con- 
verts, who  had  been  in  America  several  years  and  attended 
Xenia  Seminary  and  was  licensed  by  Xenia  Presbytery,  returned 
to  Egypt  and  joined  the  native  forces  of  the  Lord,  and  immedi- 
ately began  successful  work  under  di/ection  of  presbytery. 

New  organizations.  Suft  el-Laben  was  organized  in  1891, 
and  Daweir  in  1893. 

NILE    MISSION  WORK. 

The  Nile  work  carried  on  by  Rev,  J.  K.  Giffen  up  to  the 
end  ot  1889  was  continued  by  him  through  1890  and  into  1891 


IN   EGYPT.  389 

up  to  a  short  time  before  he  left  for  America.  At  Ainabis  he 
found  1 50  persons  gathered  to  hear  the  word  of  God,  and  was 
told  that  over  a  hundred  met  every  night  for  prayer  and  con- 
ference. Rev.  C.  Murch  spent  a  large  part  of  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1891  visiting  places  on  either  side  of  the  Nile,  until 
the  weather  became  too  hot  for  such  work.  Rev.  Dr.  Harvex- 
and  family  took  possession  of  the  "  Ibis  "  towards  the  end  of 
November,  1891,  and  continued  in  it  till  about  the  end  of  May, 
1892,  visiting  ninety  places,  holding  from  one  to  three  services 
in  each  place,  and  conversing  on  religious  subjects  with  hun- 
dreds of  people.  In  the  organized  and  unorganized  congrega- 
tions he  made  special  efforts  to  develop  in  them  the  spirit  of 
giving  to  the  Lord,  a  grace  in  which  we  all  feel  our  cluirches 
are  not  growing  as  they  ought  to  do. 

From  September  i,  1892,  Rev.  J.  O.  Ashenhurst  and  wife 
entered  upon  this  work,  and  during  the  last  four  months  of  that 
year  and  twenty  days  in  January,  1893,  they  visited  eighty 
towns  and  villages.  There  were  present  at  the  services  held 
2,683  women  and  1,502  men.  Of  the  women  140  could  read. 
They  visited  927  homes,  dispensed  the  sacrament  of  the  Sup- 
per in  nine  places,  received  nineteen  to  church  membership  on 
profession  of  their  faith,  baptized  thirty-four  children,  and  vis- 
ited thirty-seven  boys'  schools  and  girls'  schools.  In  about 
every  home  they  visited  they  either  read  from  the  Scriptures  or 
prayed,  and  generally  both.  They  worked  hard,  and  went  to 
places  far  away  from  the  river  as  well  as  near,  and  sowed 
largely  and  prayerfully,  in  the  hope  that  the  Lord  in  His  own 
time  will  cause  the  seed  to  grow  and  mature  to  the  glory  of  His 
name.  They  continued  this  same  self-sacrificing  and  greatly 
useful  work  south  of  Feshn  to  Asyut  into  the  month  of  May, 
and  from  Deirut  to  Beni  Suef  the  last  four  months  of  1893. 

Brother  Finney  and  family,  on  their  return  from  America, 
were  appointed  to  this  work,  and  spent  the  first  months  of 
1894  between  Luxor  and  Nazali  Ganoob.  Great  good  was 
accomplished  by  Brother  Finney*s  visit,  not  only  to  members 
of  the  churches,  but  also  to  the  pastors,  who  needed  encourage- 
ment and  help  in  their  most  difficult  work  of  building  up  the 
members  and  their  congregations  in  spiritual  life. 


390 


The  American  Mission 


The  latter  part  of  1894,  Rev.  J.  O.  Ashenhurst  and  wife 
again  took  up  Nile  work  and  visited  all  the  places  in  their  dis- 
trict, i.  e.,  from  Wasta  to  Nazali  Ganoob,  except  Ben!  Suef  and 
Semalut. 

Rev.  W.  M.  Nichol  visited  the  stations  in  the  district  of 
Luxor  in  1894  and  reported  the  work  in  Bahgurah  and  Naka- 
dah  as  very  encouraging,  though  in  the  latter  place  much  opposi- 
tion still  continued.  The  licentiates  and  other  presbyterial 
workers  and  missionaries  conducted  services  more  or  less  regu- 
larly in  about  ninety  stations  during  every  year  of  this  period, 
while  the  native  pastors,  v^-ith  their  congregational  organizations 
and  societies,  looked  after  the  spiritual  interests  of  at  least 
thirty  places  in  addition  to  their  own  charges.  Every  month 
during  18904,124  meetings  were  held,  and  more  in  subsequent 
years.  The  accession  to  the  membership  by  profession  during 
these  five  years  was  2,165.  Of  these,  twenty  were  Muslims. 
And  the  contributions  of  the  natives  were  nearly  $50,000, 
which  sum  includes  amount  paid  for  salaries,  for  general  ex- 
penses, for  repairs,  for  building  and  aid  in  evangelistic  and 
benevolent  works. 

During  the  year  1891  there  was  an  interesting  religious 
movement  in  Asyut  and  the  stations  south  of  it.  Meetings 
were  attended  by  large  numbers  of  people,  and  marked  atten- 
tion was  given  to  the  preaching  of  the  Word,  earnest  prayers 
were  offered,  and  the  services  of  praise  were  heartily  and  joy- 
fully rendered.  Deep  seriousness  rested  on  the  congregations 
and  a  quiet  work  of  grace  was  accomplished.  Over  fifty  were 
added  to  the  congregation  of  Nakheilah,  and  a  goodly  number 
to  three  places  in  its  immediate  neighborhood.  Forty  in  Asyut 
and  nineteen  in  a  new  place  called  Nezlet  Hers,  and  twenty  in 
Zarabi,  while  many  of  those  who  had  previously  been  profes- 
sors were  refreshed  and  strengthened.  The  old  Coptic  Church 
was  stirred  up  to  put  forth  efforts  for  her  own  resuscitation  dur- 
ing this  period  more  than  ever  before  during  the  existence  of 
our  mission.  It  is  true  that  the  work  done  by  our  mission  has 
all  along  had  an  indirect  but  good  effect  on  the  old  Coptic 
Church.  The  clergy  had  been  compelled  to  encourage  a  greater 
use  of  the  Arabic  language  instead  of  the  dead  Coptic,  to  keep 


IN  Egypt.  39i 

silent  on  the  duty  of  worshiping  pictures,  and  in  some  places 
the  pictures  had  actually  been  removed  from  the  church  proper 
to  some  private  room.  They  had  been  compelled  to  establish 
schools  and  use  the  Bible  as  a  text  book,  to  imitate  the  Protest- 
ants in  organizing  religious  and  literary  societies,  and  in  gather- 
ing the  people  together  on  week  evenings  for  prayer  and  con- 
ference. During  1891  nightly  meetings  for  the  study  of  the 
Bible  were  opened  in  many  places,  preaching  even  was  intro 
duced  into  some  places,  and  the  use  of  our  Psalm  book  in  the 
praise  service.  One  of  our  best  licentiates  was  employed  by 
the  Coptic  church  of  Asyut  to  conduct  religious  services  for  a 
whole  year.  He  used  our  Psalter  and  preached  the  simple, 
pure  Gospel  every  Sabbath  and  week  day  evenings  often  to 
nearly  a  thousand  people. 

The  movement  extended  to  many  places,  but  it  did  not 
have  elsewhere  such  a  religious  character  as  it  had  in  Asyut. 
\n  Cairo  it  appeared  as  an  effort  in  favor  of  education  and 
modern  civilization  in  their  effect  upon  the  outward  forms  of 
worship.  The  reformers  formed  themselves  into  societies, 
with  the  chief  society  located  in  the  Coptic  cathedral  in  Cairo. 
The  schools  were  to  be  organized,  young  men  were  to  be  edu- 
cated for  priests,  the  church  property  was  to  be  described  and 
controlled  and  its  proceeds  accounted  for,  the  priests  were  to 
have  a  salary,  the  poor  were  to  be  cared  for,  etc.  The  Patri- 
arch and  his  clergy  generally  did  not  approve  of  these  ideas, 
because  the  control  was  to  be  taken  from  them  and  put  in  the 
hands  of  a  committee  of  laymen,  and  the  discussion  between 
the  two  cliques  became  sharper  and  sharper  every  day.  The 
reform  party  had  the  influence  of  Butros  Pasha,  a  member  of 
the  cabinet,  who  swayed  his  colleagues,  and  got  them  first  to 
threaten  the  Patriarch  if  he  did  not  acquiesce  in  the  reform 
movement,  and  finally  to  banish  him  to  his  convent.  In  self- 
defence,  bulls  of  excommunication  were  issued  by  the  Patriarch 
against  any  bishop  or  priest  who  would  officiate  in  the  mar- 
riages or  funerals  of  the  reformers.  The  women,  nearly  all 
friendly  to  the  Patriarch,  ceased  attending  the  churches,  and 
many  of  the  men  too,  and  finally  with  a  change  of  the  govern- 
ment ministry  the  Patriarch  was  brought  back  with  great  rejoic- 


392  The  American  Mission 

ing  and  the  reformation  stopped.  It  was  even  considered  prudent 
to  have  our  licentiate  withdrawn  from  the  service  of  the  Copts 
in  Asyut.  He  received  a  call  from  our  own  congregation  there, 
and  many  who  first  heard  him  in  the  Coptic  church  followed 
him  to  the  Protestant  church.  The  movement,  as  far  as  Cairo 
is  concerned,  accomplished  nothing,  except  that  it  gave  rise  to 
a  discussion  among  the  Copts  that  has  driven  some  to  the 
Catholics,  others  to  the  Protestants,  and  the  greater  part  have 
drifted  off  to  indifference  to  all  religion,  and  are  satisfied  with 
being  members  of  a  society  that  is  really  a  feeder  to  the  lodge. 
The  condition  of  the  Coptic  church  is  very  sad.  The  Patriarch 
has  no  ability,  the  bishops  and  priests,  in  general,  are  very 
ignorant,  and  for  fear  of  losing  their  power  discourage  the  edu 
cation  of  young  men  for  the  offices  of  the  church.  The  so- 
called  reforming  party  have  no  piety,  and  care  nothing  for  a 
spiritual  reformation.  The  Coptic  people  are  like  sheep  having 
no  shepherd.  Oh  !  that  the  Great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep 
would  raise  up  for  them  under-shepherds  who  would  bring  them 
back  to  his  own  fold,  and  feed  them  on  the  rich  pastures  "  of 
his  grace  and  love." 

RELIGIOUS  NEWSPAPER. 

For  many  years  the  mission  had  thought  of  using  the  press 
for  evangelistic  purposes,  not  only  in  the  way  of  printing  and 
publishing  books,  but  also  in  issuing  a  monthly  or  weekly  per- 
iodical. An  attempt  was  made  by  Dr.  Lansing,  perhaps  twenty 
years  ago,  to  issue  a  monthly  magazine,  and  for  several  months 
one  appeared  called  "  The  Treasury  of  Christian  News,"  but 
for  some  reason  it  had  only  a  brief  existence.  During  the  year 
1887,  at  the  instance  of  my  colleagues,  I  presented  a  petition  to 
the  government  for  permission  to  issue  a  weekly  paper  in  the 
interest  of  the  cause  which  the  American  mission  in  Egypt  rep- 
resents, promising  to  observe  the  requirements  of  the  press 
law.  For  weeks  and  months  the  government  delayed  giving 
any  reply,  and  at  last  when  pressed  to  do  so  replied  in  the  neg- 
ative. Another  petition  was  presented,  but  this  time  through 
the  consulate  of  the  United  States.  Considerable  delay,  ac- 
cording to  eastern  custom,  was  experienced,  and  the  consul- 


The  Khedive— Abbas  Hehiii. 


IN  Egypt.  393 

general  had  several  interviews  with  those  in  power  on  the  sub- 
ject, with  the  same  result,  except  that  the  consul-general  told 
us  to  go  on  and  publish  the  paper,  and  he  would  stand  by  us. 
At  the  time  this  was  received  I  was  in  America,  and  my  col- 
leagues had  enough  to  do  without  entering  upon  such  an  enter- 
prise. On  my  return  to  Egypt  another  consul-general  was  in- 
stalled and  the  promise  of  the  former  one  was  not  binding  on 
him.  Besides,  we  understood  that  the  native  government 
really  was  opposed  to  the  appearance  of  a  weekly  paper  in  the 
interests  of  Christianity,  and  the  Catholics,  who  had  great  in- 
fluence with  many  oificial  Muslims,  would,  if  we  published  the 
paper  without  permission,  very  soon  find  reasons  for  making 
complaints  against  us.  I  determined  not  to  be  baffled  a  tliird 
time,  so  1  prepared  a  third  petition  and  presented  it  to  the  Eng- 
lish head  of  the  press  department.  On  receiving  the  petition 
he  expressed  the  opinion  that  there  would  be  no  objections.  I 
did  not  say  to  him  that  I  did  not  share  in  his  opinions.  He  re- 
quired of  me  the  fulfilment  of  certain  conditions  imposed  by 
law.  Some  of  these  were,  not  to  attack  the  government  or 
the  established  religion  (meaning  Muhammadanism),  and  to 
give  a  bond  for  good  behavior,  amounting  to  ^250  for  a  year. 
All  which  I  was  ready  to  accept.  I  returned  after  two  weeks 
to  inquire  about  the  answer  to  my  request,  and  he  told  me 
that  he  could  not  understand  it,  but  certain  parties  whose  con- 
sent was  necessary  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  give  it.  1  asked 
him  then  what  I  had  better  do,  remarking  that  there  were 
several  papers  published  in  Egypt  without  permission,  and  that 
1  supposed  Americans  had  as  good  a  right  as  those  of  otlier 
nationalities.  "Yes,"  he  replied,  "  we  cannot  prevent  you." 
"But,"  I  said,  "we  missionaries  came  to  Egypt  to  obey  the 
laws,  not  to  break  them,  and  we  do  not  wish  to  publish  a  paper 
except  in  accordance  with  the  law."  "Well,"  said  he,  "you 
had  better  see  Lord  Cromer."  That  was  just  what  I  wanted 
him  to  say.  I  then  went  directly  to  his  lordship  and  stated  the 
case  to  him.  He  asked  me  who  were  the  parties  who  opposed 
the  publishing  of  the  paper.  I  said,  "I  do  not  know,"  as  I 
thought  perhaps  Baron  de  Malortie  would  not  care  to  tell  me  if 
I  asked  him.     "Well,"  said  he,  "  I  will  see."     After  two  days 


394  The  American  Mission 

1  received  a  registered  letter  from  the  baron,  who  was  then  chief 
of  the  press  bureau,  granting  me  permission  to  publish  the 
paper.  The  first  number  was  published  on  December  14,  1892, 
and  it  has  been  issued  weekly  ever  since.  It  is  a  small  sheet 
of  eight  pages,  'and  is  now  called  "The  Guide."  It  has  at 
the  time  of  writing  about  seven  hundred  subscribers.  It  is 
growing  in  favor  among  our  own  people,  and  circulates  to  some 
extent  in  Syria.  Several  copies  go  to  Aden,  Bosra,  etc.  The 
subscription  price  is  one  dollar. 

THE  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENT. 

Dr.  Henry  and  family  reached  the  mission  in  the  autumn 
of  1891,  and  he  began  work  in  Asyut  on  December  i  of  the 
same  year.  He  has  labored  early  and  late,  as  his  colleagues  at 
the  station  testify.  During  the  first  four  months  he  treated 
4,343  patients,  performed  forty-one  surgical  operations,  and 
visited  402  patients  in  their  homes.  In  his  report  for  1892,  he 
states  that  12,398  patients  were  treated,  688  visits  made  to 
houses,  and  128  surgical  operations  performed.  During  1893 
he  treated  13,641  patients,  visited  homes  617  times,  and  per- 
formed 108  surgical  operations.  During  1894  the  number  of 
patients  treated  were  14,267;  visits  to  homes,  1,200;  surgical 
operations,  100.  The  fees  collected  in  three  years  amounted  to 
;SS4,o85.  For  Muslims,  for  nominal  Christians,  and  for  profes- 
sors he  had  always  an  appropriate  word  on  religion.  If  he  only 
took  as  much  delight  in  telling  what  he  did  and  what  he  said  as 
he  takes  in  doing  and  saying,  his  reports  would  be  long  and  in- 
teresting, but  his  natural  disposition  restrains  him  from  speak- 
ing of  his  own  work.  There  are  thousands  of  natives,  how- 
ever, who  testify  to  the  benefit  he  has  been  able  to  confer  upon 
them  in  the  way  of  relieving  bodily  pain,  and  calling  their 
attention  to  the  necessity  of  seeking  the  healing  of  the  soul 
through  the  balm  which  the  Great  Physician  freely  gives. 

NEW  PREMISES. 

In  1890  the  property  previously  purchased  in  Haret  es- 
Sakkain  was  remodeled  and  a  large  hall  made  in  it  on  the  sec- 


IN  Egypt.  395 

ond  story,  suitable  for  holding  religious  services  on  the  Sabbath, 
and  for  the  opening  services  of  the  girls'  school  during  the  week. 
The  largest  part  of  the  money  used  for  this  purpose  was  given 
by  Mrs.  Martin,  Mrs.  Harvey's  sister,  and  therefore  it  has  in- 
scribed on  its  outer  wall,  "The  Martin  Memorial  Hall."  The 
new  pastorate  formed  in  Haret  es-Sakkain  a  year  ago  has  this 
hall  for  its  religious  services,  and  unless  the  growth  of  the  con- 
gregation should  be  more  rapid  than  at  present  appearance,  it 
will  be  large  enough  for  the  congregation  for  some  years  to 
come. 

The  building  purchased  in  Monsurah  some  years  ago  was 
rearranged  and  to  a  large  extent  rebuilt  in  1890,  so  as  to  give 
room  for  a  school  for  boys  and  another  for  girls,  and  a  neat 
little  church  sufficient  for  present  uses.  The  opening  services 
were  held  on  December  27,  1890,  and  a  large  number  of  per- 
sons were  present.  The  members  and  adherents  there,  under 
the  instruction  and  direction  of  Mr.  Finney,  contributed  liber- 
ally towards  the  erection  of  the  building,  and  the  writer,  who 
spent  several  years  there  in  their  days  of  small  things,  and  ad- 
mitted to  church  membership  the  first  convert,  rejoiced  with 
them  at  the  progress  they  had  made,  and  congratulated  them 
on  the  beautiful  little  church  they  had  built.  The  prospects  of 
a  large  spiritual  temple  being  reared  in  that  needy  field  are 
encouraging. 

In  1893  a  house  was  erected  in  Asyut  for  a  residence  for 
Dr.  Henry,  no  suitable  house  being  eligible  in  the  town.  It  is 
situated  near  the  Asyut  training  college  and  the  Pressley  Me- 
morial Institute,  so  that  his  services  for  the  missionaries,  and 
the  teachers  and  pupils,  can  be  readily  secured. 

DEATH  OF  UNCLE  FAM  STEPHANOS. 

All  who  have  followed  the  history  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian Mission  in  Egypt,  and  read  its  reports  from  year  to  year, 
will  recognize  the  name  of  Fam  Stephanos.  The  first  time  he 
was  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  missionaries  was  in  i860,  as 
related  in  "Egypt's  Princes."  Rev.  Makhiel  el-Belyani  re- 
turned to  the   dahabiah  one  day,  and,  as  Dr.  Lansing  says, 


396  The  American  Mission 

"  was  in  ecstacies  about  a  man  named  Fam  Stephanos  whom 
they  had  found  at  Kus.  He  said  he  had  spent  a  day  and  a 
nigiit  with  him  in  most  interesting  conversation,  that  he  had  got 
beyond  the  A  B  C  of  controversy  about  images,  confession, 
etc.,  and  that  they  had  spent  the  time  in  discussing  the  high 
mysteries  of  religion,  and  in  investigating  and  explaining  dif- 
ficult passages  of  Scriptures."  *  He  was  a  man  of  fine  phy- 
sique, of  strong  mind,  of  wide  reading  and  close  thinking.  He 
was  bold,  fearless,  had  a  clear  perception  of  what  is  right,  and, 
what  was  rare  then,  was  honest  in  the  service  of  the  govern- 
ment. He  was  enlightened  by  the  reading  of  God's  Word,  ^ 
through  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit.  His  zeal  for  the  truth  broke 
out  sometimes  in  acts  that  common  men  could  not  perform,  and 
if  they  did,  they  would  have  been  apprehended  for  them. 
Once  the  bishop  and  his  clergy  were  about  to  march  through 
the  church  with  the  cross  and  the  picture  of  Christ.  He 
ordered  them  to  stop,  and  as  they  showed  themselves  refrac- 
tory, he  drove  bishop,  priests  and  people  out  of  the  church. 
This  is  the  man  whose  persecution  in  the  days  of  Brother  Cur' 
rie  takes  up  nearly  a  whole  chapter  of  this  history.  "  He  was 
the  father  of  the  congregation  in  Kus,  a  man  of  great  firmness 
and  decision  of  character,  a  born  leader  of  men.  His  heart 
was  set  on  religion,  and  it  was  his  greatest  delight  to  read  the 
Bible  and  be  told  about  its  precious  truths.  The  writerf  of  this 
well  remembers  spending  a  communion  Sabbath  in  Kus  in  i8Si, 
and  being  entertained  at  the  hospitable  home  of  Uncle  Fam. 
As  we  parted  he  literally  fell  on  our  neck  and  embraced  us  after 
the  true  Oriental  style.  He  was  then  seventy  years  old,  and 
must  have  been  eighty  when  he  died." 

DEATH  OF  MRS.  W.  M.  NICHOL. 

She,  with  her  husband,  both  in  the  best  of  health,  with 
prospects  before  them  of  long  life  and  usefumess  in  the  Master's 
work,  arrived  in  Egypt  in  the  autumn  of  1889.  In  less  than  a 
year  afterwards  she  was  taken  to  her  eternal  home,  leaving  a 
mourning  husband  and  a  sweet  little  babe.  Strange,  Indeed, 
*  Page  235,  "  Egypt's  Princes."       t  Dr.  W.  W.  Barr. 


o 

6 


bfl 


IN  EGYPT.  397 

that  one  so  bright  and  promising,  and  so  necessary  to  her  hus- 
band's happiness  and  her  babe's  comfort,  should  be  taken  away 
when  just  entering  upon  life's  work.  But  we  are  His,  and  He 
can  do  with  us  what  He  will,  and  we  bow  in  humble  recognition 
to  His  will. 

DEATH  OF  REV.  GULIAN  LANSING,  D.  D. 

By  an  unpardonable  oversight,  nothing  more  than  the  fol- 
lowing appeared  in  the  mission  report  for  1892  about  the  de- 
cease of  this  veteran  missionary:  "  On  September  12,  Dr.  G. 
Lansing  died.  For  thirty-five  years  he  had  served  the  Lord  in 
Egypt.  He  has  rested  from  his  labors,  and  his  works  do  follow 
him." 

That  the  loss  to  the  mission  by  Dr.  Lansing's  death  was 
less  felt  at  the  time,  both  by  the  Egyptian  Church  and  his  col- 
leagues of  the  mission,  was  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  for  sev- 
eral years  he  had  been  laid  aside  from  active  work.  But 
anyone  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  American  Mission  in 
Egypt,  from  1856  to  the  time  of  Dr.  Hogg's  death,  need  not  be 
told  how  large  a  place  Dr.  Lansing  occupied  in  the  administra- 
tion and  the  active  work  of  the  mission.  He  and  Dr.  Hogg  were 
always  the  chief  factors.  Differing  widely  in  their  dispositions 
and  in  their  talents,  the  one  seemed  necessary  to  the  other,  as 
both  seemed  to  the  writer  indispensable  to  the  work.  The  Lord 
has  taught  us,  however,  that  no  one  is  indispensable  to  Him. 
He  can  carry  on  His  work  by  the  weakest  as  well  as  by  the 
strongest.  A  few  weeks  before  Dr.  Hogg's  death,  Dr.  Lansing 
was  obliged  to  go  to  Helwan  for  his  health.  The  news  of  Dr. 
Hogg's  sudden  death  greatly  increased  his  Hlness,  and  he  was 
compelled  to  seek  a  change  in  Great  Britain  during  the  summer. 
He  returned  considerably  improved,  but  not  completely  restored. 
He  was  able,  however,  for  work  during  the  following  winter. 
During  the  summer  of  1887  he  again  visited  Great  Britain, 
partly  for  his  health  and  partly  to  assist  in  arranging  the  family 
affairs  of  his  highness,  the  Maharajah  Dhulup  Singh.  On  his 
return  he  took  part  in  the  mission  work  as  usual,  made  a  trip 


398  The  American  Mission 

in  the  "  Ibis  "  as  far  as  Asyut,  and  afterwards  gave  instruction 
in  Hebrew  to  the  theological  classes  of  the  third  year.  He  be- 
came less  and  less  able  for  duty,  however,  and  in  1890  went 
home  to  America,  returning  but  little  improved  in  1891.  From 
that  time  till  his  death  he  was  unable  to  take  any  part  in 
mission  work.  He  gradually  became  weaker.  I  was  his  col- 
league, and  enjoyed  his  genial  companionship  for  many  years, 
and  have  many  reasons  for  cherishing  his  memory.  Being 
away  in  Ramleh  during  the  summer  of  1892,  and  hearing  of  his 
increasing  weakness,  and  the  likelihood  that  it  would  not  be 
long  before  his  end  would  come,  I  went  to  Cairo  on  Saturday, 
September  10,  wishing  to  see  his  face  once  more,  if  possible, 
before  his  departure  from  earth.  I  called  on  him  in  company 
with  Dr.  Harvey  the  same  afternoon,  and  I  found  him  stronger 
than  I  expected,  and  quite  able  to  recognize  me  and  answer  any 
questions  put  to  him.  Among  other  things,  I  asked  him  if  he 
had  any  message  to  the  native  brethren,  and  he  replied,  "  Give 
them  my  love."  I  thought  that  day  that  he  would  remain  with 
us  for  several  days.  But  next  day  we  learned  that  he  had 
grown  worse.  Dr.  Harvey  went  out  to  see  him  about  two  P.  M. 
on  Sabbath,  and  remained  with  him  until  nearly  six,  when,  having 
conducted  the  afternoon  services  in  Arabic,  I  relieved  him  and 
he  returned  to  the  mission  house  and  conducted  the  English 
service  in  the  evening.  Dr.  Carrell  Lansing  accepted  my  offer  to 
remain  with  his  father  all  night.  I  hardly  thought  then  it  would 
be  his  last  night  on  earth.  His  mind  was  wandering  occasion- 
ally when  left  to  himself,  but  whenever  anyone  spoke  to  him, 
he  generally  recognized  the  voice  and  replied  intelligently, 
though  briefly.  On  the  whole,  he  seemed  much  worse  than 
the  day  before.  Dr.  Grant,  his  physician  and  fast  friend,  made 
his  usual  visit  a  little  after  sunset,  and  soon  after  he  left  his 
symptoms  became  worse,  and  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock 
he  had  a  violent  paroxysm  of  pain.  This,  however,  gradually 
passed  off,  and  he  rested  quietly  until  the  end.  A  little  after 
this  he  turned  himself  on  his  right  side,  put  his  right  hand  over 
his  left  shoulder,  and  his  left  on  the  edge  of  the  bed  next  his 
son,  and  remained  in  that  position  until  he  peacefully  breathed 
his  last,  at  4.40  A.  M.,  on  Monday,  September  12,  in  the  pleasant 


IN  EGYPT.  399 

home  of  his  second  son,  where  he  had  the  most  assiduous  atten- 
tion  paid  to  him,  and  the  most  tender  affection  shown  him  by 
his  son  and  his  daughter-in-law. 

The  funeral  services  were  held  in  d\e  American  church  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  on  which  he  died,  A  large  num- 
ber of  people  came  to  pay  their  last  honor  to  the  beloved  mis. 
sionary.  Some  of  the  native  women,  before  whom  he  had  so  often 
preached,  came  forward  and  kissed  the  coffin,  which  was  cov- 
ered with  beautiful  wreaths  of  flowers.  Those  who  had  known 
Dr.  Lansing  best,  mourned  most  for  him.  At  the  funeral  serv- 
ices, Dr.  Harvey,  Rev.  J.  Giffen,  Rev.  C.  Murch,  the  Venerable 
Archdeacon  Butcher  and  the  writer  occupied  the  pulpit,  and  all 
except  the  archdeacon  took  part,  either  in  English  or  Arabic. 
Rev.  Messrs.  C.  Murch,  E.  M.  Giffen,  J.  S.  Kruidenier  and  W.  M. 
Nichol  acted  as  pall-bearers.  The  American  and  English  consuls 
were  present,  and  nearly  all  the  English  community.  In  honor 
of  the  deceased,  the  men  walked  behind  the  hearse  for  some 
distance  before  getting  into  their  carriages.  The  body  was  laid 
beside  other  loved  ones,  where  it  awaits  the  resurrection  of  the 
blessed. 

Of  Dr.  Lansing's  character  it  may  be  said,  he  was  a  man 
who  had  strong  faith  in  God.     Until  late  years,  when  bodily 
weakness  afflicted  him,  his  faith  seemed  equal  to  any  circum- 
stances.    During  the  American  war,  when  the  funds  of  the 
mission  were  low,  and  sometimes  the  missionaries  knew  not 
the  one  day  whence  they  would  get  means  for  the  support  of 
their  families  for  the  next,  his  faith  did  not  fail  him.     One  day 
his  colleague.  Dr.  Hogg,  entered  his  room  in  Cairo  and  said,  "Dr. 
Lansing,  I  have  nothing  with  which  to  get  dinner."    Dr.  Lans- 
ing, taking  the  last  dollar  out  of  his  purse,  gave  it  to  him  say- 
ing, "  Take  that."  "  But  what  will  we  do  for  to-morrow.?"  asked 
Dr.  Hogg.  "  Never  mind  to-morrow  ;  the  Lord  will  provide,"  re- 
plied Dr.  Lansing,  and  so   He  did,  for  the  next  day  a  letter 
came  inclosing  a  small  remittance.     When  one  of  his  colleagues 
was  putting  the  upper  story  on  the  mission  house  in  Alexan- 
dria and  the  means  available  for  the  purpose  were  all  expended 
he  asked  Dr.  Lansing,  who  at  the  time  was  in  Alexandria,  if 
the  work  should  be   stopped.     He  replied,  '•'No,  go  on,  have 


400  The  American  Mission 

faith  in  God."  And  when  the  present  mission  house  in  Cairo 
was  in  course  of  erection,  and  the  funds  for  that  particular 
work  were  tied  up  in  Egyptian  bonds,  which  had  gone  down  to 
45  per  cent,  below  par,  that  same  colleague  proposed  to  dismiss 
the  workmen  for  a  time.  He  said,  *'  No,  let  us  go  on,  the 
Lord  will  provide."  The  next  day  he  came  in  with  a  check 
for  ;;^250,  which  a  lady  interested  in  the  mission  work  had 
just  contributed  to  aid  in  the  erection  of  the  building.  In  Mul- 
ler's  "  Life  of  Trust"  we  learn  that  with  all  his  faith  he  never 
commenced  a  work  requiring  a  large  sum  of  money  without 
having  the  money  already  in  hand,  but  Dr.  Lansing  did  not 
wait  for  the  money  to  come  ;  he  commenced  the  work  believing 
that,  if  it  was  a  good  work,  the  Lord  would  send  the  means. 

Dr.  Lansing  had  a  strong  persistency  of  purpose.  Once 
convinced  and  his  mind  made  up  on  any  subject  or  undertaking 
he  could  not  be  moved.  He  lent  all  his  energies  to  convince 
others,  and  to  carry  out  the  purpose  which  he  had  formed. 
It  is  not  meant  that  he  was  always  right,  but  that  there  was 
nothing  of  vacillation,  or  doubt,  or  hesitation  about  his  char- 
acter. 

Dr.  Lansing  was,  until  the  last  few  years  very  cool  and 
keen  in  argument.  He  could  in  a  moment  brush  away  the 
subterfuges  and  expose  the  fallacies  of  his  disputants.  Like 
his  Master,  he  sometimes  used  the  arguuicntiun  ad  Jwminem 
with  telling  effect.  Like  Elijah,  he  believed  that  a  little  irony 
was  allowable  to  humble  a  proud,  supercilious  opponent.  If  he 
sometimes  failed  in  convincing,  he  seldom  failed  in  silencing 
him. 

He  was  a  fine  Hebrew  scholar.  His  Hebrew  Bible  was  al- 
ways on  the  table  near  him,  and  in  it  he  read  and  studied  every 
day.  Often  till  after  the  middle  of  the  night  would  he  be  found 
with  his  oriental  dictionaries  and  Hebrew  Bible  before  him.  He 
had  no  sympathy  with  the  higher  critics,  and  wrote  several  arti- 
cles to  prove  that  no  one  but  a  man  who  lived  in  Egypt,  and 
was  intimately  acquainted  with  its  ancient  language  and  cus- 
toms, could  have  written  the  Pentateuch. 

He  took  a  deep  interest  in  all  Eastern  questions,  often  crit- 
icizing severely  the  British  policy  of  upholding  the  Turkish  em- 


IN  Egypt.  401 

pire,  and  for  this  purpose  affiliating  witli  the  enemies  of  the 
Christian  religion.  He  believed  in  the  British  occupation  of 
Egypt,  and  hoped  it  might  continue  long  enough  to  root  out  cor- 
ruption and  oppression.  He  did  not  believe,  with  Lord  Dufferin, 
that  Egypt  was  a  child  which  needed  to  be  helped  till  it  learned 
to  walk,  but  rather  a  full  grown  man  who  knows  well  enough 
the  right  from  the  wrong,  but  has  become  so  accustomed  to  do 
wrong  that  he  loved  it  and  was  bent  upon  doing  it. 

He  was  very  genial  and  sociable.  All  who  knew  him  were 
charmed  with  his  social  qualities.  Yet  he  entered  little  into 
what  is  known  in  social  parlance  as  "society."  His  study 
was  always  open  to  the  reception  of  friends.  He  was  always 
ready  to  receive  any  native  inquiring  the  way  of  salvation,  or 
asking  even  for  advice  or  assistance  in  secular  matters. 
The  educated  and  intelligent  travelers  came  to  him  for  infor- 
mation about  the  country  and  the  people.  He  had  many 
friends,  not  only  in  this  country,  but  in  Great  Britain  and 
other  lands.  Many  in  Egypt  looked  up  to  him  as  a  father,  and 
many  here  and  elsewhere  have  pleasant  memories  of  profitable 
hours  spent  in  his  company.  He  was  laid  under  the  shade  of 
the  beautiful  acacia,  in  the  middle  of  a  cemetery  which  was 
secured  in  great  part  by  his  exertions.     "  Blessed  are  the  dead 

which  die  in  the  Lord, that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors, 

and  their  works  do  follow  them." 

DR.  J.   B.   DALES. 

I  cannot  help  mentioning  here  one  who  died  during  the 
period  of  which  this  chapter  treats.  He  was  not  a  missionary, 
but  he  might  be  called  the  father  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
missions.  I  mean  our  late  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Dales,  D.  D.,  LL.D. 
Always  kind,  always  considerate,  whose  voice  was  never 
silent,  and  whose  pen  was  never  still  in  behalf  of  the  work  of 
Christ  in  foreign  lands.  When  I  was  yet  in  college  I  was  ac- 
customed to  read  his  stirring  appeals  in  the  Christian  Instmctor 
on  behalf  of  foreign  missions.  His  last  public  address  was  an 
earnest  presentation  of  the  conditions  and  wants  of  the  foreign 
26 


402  The  American  Mission 

mission  cause  to  the  Synod  of  New  York.  He  died  at  Chau- 
tauqua, N.  Y.,  August  21,  1893.  By  his  death  the  foreign 
missionaries  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  lost  a  sym- 
pathizing friend,  the  Church  an  eloquent  preacher  and  earnest 
worker,  and  the  writer  along  with  many  others,  a  personal 
friend.  By  his  admittance  into  the  company  of  the  glorified 
ones  above,  heaven  is  nearer  and  dearer. 

THE   DEPARTURE  OF  MISS  MCKOWN. 

I  cannot  close  this  chapter  without  speaking  of  the  with- 
drawal of  our  sister,  Martha  J.  McKown,  from  the  mission. 
For  several  years  she  had  felt  her  eyesight  gradually  growing 
dim.  She  had  the  advice  and  treatment  of  one  of  the  best 
oculists  in  the  world.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  her  case,  but 
no  amount  of  skill,  and  no  kind  of  treatment  prevented  the 
result  which  we  all  feared,  viz.,  total  blindness.  For  some  time 
after  her  sight  was  nearly  or  entirely  gone  she  was  taken  to  the 
houses  of  the  people  in  a  small  carriage  drawn  by  a  donke\-, 
and  did  good  service  among  the  women,  reading  to  them  from 
the  Scriptures  in  raised  type,  and  conversing  and  praying  with 
them.  She  was  highly  respected,  widely  known,  and  greatly 
beloved  by  those  among  whom  she  had  so  long  labored.  On 
her  departure  the  natives  showed  her  great  kindness,  giving 
material  evidence  of  the  regard  in  which  she  was  held  by  them. 
She  had  done  a  noble  work,  had  broken  up  the  fallow  ground  in 
upper  Egypt,  and  sown  much  good  seed  which  the  Lord  had 
blessed  and  permitted  her  to  see  maturing  into  a  rich  harvest. 
She  had  a  strong  constitution  and  an  active,  clear  mind,  a  won- 
derful talent  for  making  plans  and  carrying  them  out.  Many 
women  and  girls  in  Egypt,  and  some  men  too,  owe  to  her  the 
inspiration  that  impelled  them  to  seek  to  live  a  better  life.  She 
deserves  the  sympathy  and  regard  of  the  Church  at  home. 
May  her  last  days  on  earth  be  days  of  rest  and  joy,  in  fellow- 
ship with  those  who  love  the  Saviour.* 
•  Since  this  was  penned  she  has  joined  the  company  above. 


IN  Egypt.  403 

It  was  my  intention  not  to  bring  up  the  history  and  statis. 
tics  beyond  the  close  of  1894,  but,  on  account  of  other  duties 
intervening,  I  was  compelled  to  delay  until  the  present  time, 
and  therefore  I  have  thought  best  to  add  a  few  pages  and  give 
a  brief  summary  of  events  transpiring  during  1895  ^^^  1^9^  in 
order  to  bring  up  the  record  to  the  beginning  of  1897. 

The  new  missionaries  arriving  during  these  two  years  were 
as  follows : 

Rev.  Ralph  E.  Carson  and  Miss  Adelle  McMillan,  in  1895  > 
Rev  D.  Strang,  reappointed  in  1896  ;  Rev.  G.  A.  Sowash,  Miss 
Cora  B.  Dickey,  Rev.  W.  H.  Reed,  Miss  Lizzie  D.  Teas,  Miss 
Anna  B.  Watson,  M.  D.,  Miss  Caroline  C.  Lawrence,  M.  D., 
came  out  in  1896. 

The  pew  pastors  ordained  and  installed  were  : 

Rev.  Suiris  Garas,  over  Suft  el-Laban,  Rev.  Salih  Han- 
nalla,  over  Haret  es-Sakkain,  in  1895 ;  Rev.  Garas  Grace,  over 
Meir,  Rev.  Makhiel  Ahadir,  over  Monsurah,  Rev.  Hanna  Grace, 
over  Deir  Abu  Hinnis,  etc.,  in  1896.  The  new  congregations 
formed  were : 

Haret  es-Sakkain,  Monsurah,  in  1895  ;  Deir  Abu  Hinnis, 
etc.,  Sharunah  and  Feshn,  in  1896. 

In  1895  Rev.  J.  O.  Ashenhurst  and  wife  went  to  America  on 
furlough  and  have  not  yet  returned.  In  1896  Rev.  J.  Kruid- 
enier  and  family  returned  to  America  for  a  change,  and  in  the 
autumn  of  the  same  year  Rev.  S.  C.  Ewing,  D.  D.,  and  wife 
also  returned  to  America  on  furlough,  after  having  remained  in 
Egypt  several  years  beyond  the  usual  time. 

The  years  1895  and  1896  will  long  be  remembered  in  the 
East  as  the  time  during  which  Muhammadan  hate  and  Turkish 
cruelty  revelled  in  deeds  of  darkness  in  Armenia,  and  thousands 
were  slaughtered  in  the  most  barbarous  manner,  and  tens  of 
thousands  had  their  property  stolen  and  their  homes  destroyed 
for  no  other  reason  than  that  they  bore  the  Christian  name, 
while  the  number  of  deaths  from  cold  and  hunger  exceeded 
many  times  the  number  of  those  who  were  killed  outright. 
The  unwillingness  of  the  so-called  Christian  powers  of  Europe 
and  America,  either  to  prevent  the  massacres,  the  lust  and  the 
cruel  outrages,  or  to  inflict  punishment  on  the  guilty  parties  after 


404  'J'HE  aaierican  Mission 

the  dark  deeds  were  done,  will  no  doubt  be  laid  to  their  account 
by  the  God  of  nations,  and  a  just  recompense  of  reward  im- 
posed upon  them.  Those  who,  from  fear  of  causing  a  European 
war,  were  afraid  to  help  the  needy  and  oppressed,  who  were 
calling  for  aid,  may  find  that  for  much  less  worthy  ends  they 
may  have  to  sacrifice  thousands  of  lives  and  millions  of  money. 
The  curse  of  Meroz  may  fall  upon  them  in  an  unexpected  hour. 

It  was  a  time  of  terror  to  all  who  lived  in  Muhammadan 
lands.  Even  in  Egypt  we  could  hear  the  rumblings  of  the  rag- 
ing elements,  and  knew  from  past  experience  what  would  have 
taken  place  were  it  not  for  the  protection  afforded  by  the 
arrangements  of  divine  Providence. 

Among  the  victims  of  Turkish  cruelty  and  Muslim  intoler- 
ance was  our  brother  in  Christ,  the  Rev.  Girgis  Anshalian,  late 
pastor  of  the  congregation  of  Kus,  who,  with  his  wife  and  her 
brothers,  went  for  a  visit  to  their  native  land  in  the  autumn  of 
1895,  ^^^  only  tv/o  or  three  days  after  he  reached  Diarbekr  he 
was  cruelly  murdered  at  the  door  of  the  Gregorian  church,  after 
having  paid  a  ransom  in  gold,  and  after  refusing  to  deny  his 
Lord  and  Saviour.  We  doubt  not  that  he  is  now  wearing  the 
martyr's  crown. 

Towards  the  close  of  1895  the  cholera  appeared  on  the 
northeastern  borders  of  Egypt,  spread  slowly  during  the  winter 
months,  and  increased  in  virulence  during  the  spring  and  sum 
mer  of  1896,  until  it  extended  throughout  the  Nile  valley  even 
as  far  as  Wadi  Haifa,  a  tiling  unknown  before.  Perhaps  as 
many  as  30,000  persons  died  of  the  dreaded  disease.  Among 
them  were  several  members  of  our  evangelical  churches.  We 
also  lost  one  of  our  best  pastors,  Rev.  Iskaros  Mas'ud  of  Abnub, 
who,  when  a  boy  at  school  at  Asyut,  so  nobly  stood  up  for  the 
truth  before  the  rulers  of  that  province,  and  was  severely  bas- 
tinadoed for  its  sake.  He  leaves  a  widow  and  several  children 
with  nothing  to  support  them.  Up  to  the  present  time  the  con- 
gregation of  which  he  was  pastor  has  shown  its  Christian  spirit 
by  supplying  their  wants.  Rev.  Iskaros  Mas'ud  was  an  earn- 
est and  faithful  worker.  He  will  be  greatly  missed  in  tiie  dis- 
trict in  which  he  resided.  He  was  specially  successful  in  ins 
efforts  to  enlighten  and  lift  up  the  female  portion  of  his  flock. 


«b 


l^[M>< 


^:. 


IN  EGYPT.  405 

Just  when  it  was  thought  that  the  scourge  had  about  passed 
away,  and  after  some  of  the  missionaries  had  left  Ramieh  for 
Asyut,  Mrs.  Strang  was  seized  with  a  violent  attack  of  cholera, 
from  which  she  died  within  eighteen  hours,  although  she  had, 
from  the  beginning,  the  best  medical  advice  and  the  most  care- 
ful nursing.  She  was  buried  by  her  sorrowing  comrades  the 
following  day  in  the  English  cemetery  at  Alexandria.  Neither 
her  husband  nor  her  daughter  was  able  to  reach  home  before 
the  funeral.  Her  death  was  a  severe  blow  to  them,  coming  as 
it  did  after  other  similar  afflictions  in  their  family  during  the 
past  few  years.  They  mourn,  however,  not  as  those  who 
have  no  hope.  Mrs.  Strang  was  one  of  the  excellent  of  the 
earth,  beloved  by  all  who  knew  her.  Her  Christian  life  spread 
a  sweet  fragrance  wherever  she  lived.  In  her  case  death  was 
shorn  of  all  its  terrors,  for  the  Lord  lighted  up  the  dark  val- 
ley for  her.  Into  other  homes  death  entered  during  these 
years  and  took  away  to  Jesus  of  those  whom  He  blessed  and 
of  whom  He  said,  **Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
Eunice  Giffen,  Alice  Alexander  and  Val.  Henry  are  now  follow- 
ing the  Lamb  whithersoever  He  goeth. 

No  missionary  tours  were  made  on  the  Nile  during  1895 
and  1896.  Brother  Nichol  visited  his  district  by  means  of  the 
postal  steamers.  In  this  way,  however,  it  was  impossible  to  do 
as  efficient  work  as  he  could  have  done  on  the  "  Ibis."  There 
are  now  so  many  native  pastors  that  the  character  of  the  work 
needed  to  be  done  by  the  Nile  missionary  differs  greatly  from 
what  it  used  to  be.  The  pastors  care  for  the  vacancies  within 
their  districts  as  much  as  their  time  and  strength  will  admit. 
But  they  themselves  need  the  help  and  counsel  of  men  of 
experience.  The  congregations  too  need  the  visits  of  the  mis- 
sionaries to  stir  them  up  to  be  faithful  in  performing  their  duties 
to  their  pastors  and  to  the  world  of  sinners  who  have  not  yet 
had  the  Gospel  sent  to  them. 

In  the  evangelistic  department  a  new  departure  was  made 
by  presbytery,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  whole  valley 
from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  first  cataract,  under  proper  super- 
vision. Some  had  proposed  a  division  of  presbytery,  but  the 
majority   considered  this  as  still  inopportune.      Most   of    the 


4o6  The  American  Mission 

native  pastors  and  some  of  the  missionaries  are  yet  inexper- 
ienced, and  the  benefits  of  united  counsel  were  felt  to  be  very 
great.  So  a  scheme  was  worked  out  by  which  the  whole 
country  is  divided  into  six  districts.  Each  district  is  put  under 
the  care  of  a  special  committee  of  superintendence,  with  a  per- 
manent committee  as  a  connecting  link  between  the  district 
committees  and  the  presbytery.  This  scheme  is  now  being  car- 
ried out,  and  it  is  hoped  may  bring  all  the  outlying  stations 
under  stricter  supervision,  and  be  a  means  of  stimulating 
Christian  activity  and  benevolence,  and,  in  time,  prepare  the 
pastors  and  the  people  for  a  division  of  the  field  into  as  many 
presbyteries. 

The  native  churches  continued  to  grow  in  members  and  in 
good  works  during  these  two  years,  perhaps  even  more  than 
during  any  similar  period,  and  new  stations  were  opened  in 
several  places.  The  following  table  will  enable  the  reader  to 
see  the  working  force  of  the  mission  and  the  presbytery,  as 
well  as  something  of  the  good  accomplished  up  to  the  present 
time,  and  the  fruit  gathered  by  the  blessing  of  the  Lord: 

United  Presbyterian  Mission  in  Egypt  on  January  i,  iSgy. 

17  Ordained  foreign  missionaries. 

1  Other  male  missionary  (medical). 
10  Unmarried  women  missionaries. 

2  Unmarried  women  doctors. 
17  Married  women  missionaries. 
21  Ordained  native  ministers. 
42  Other  presbyterial  workers. 
39  Organized  churches. 

5,355  Church  members. 

10,497  Average  attendance  at  Sabbath  morning  service. 

$16,609  Contribution  from  native  churches  during  1896. 

127  Sabbath  schools. 

6,849  Sabbath  school  scholars. 

168  Weekday  schools. 

272  Teachers  in  the  same. 

11,014  Pupils  in  these  schools. 

822,945  Collected  for  board  and  tuition. 

7  Book  depositories. 

34  Shopmen  and  colporteurs. 

62,344  Volumes  sold  in  1896. 

Sii,i27  Proceeds  of  sales. 

4,441  Attendance  at  night  meetings. 

197  Number  of  stations. 


IN  Egypt.  407- 

OTHER  MISSIONS  IN  EGYPT. 

From  the  year  1858,  the  Established  Church  of  Scotland 
has  had  in  Alexandria  a  mission  to  the  Jews,  with  schools  for 
boys  and  girls  and  services  in  English,  both  in  the  city  for  resi- 
dents and  in  the  harbor  for  sailors.  They  have  no  services  in 
the  vernacular. 

For  about  twenty  years  there  has  been  a  small  Dutch  mis- 
sion at  Galiub,  a  small  town  about  eight  miles  north  of  Cairo. 
In  connection  with  it  there  are  schools  for  boys  and  girls  in 
Galiub  and  in  Fam  el-Bahr,  and  services  in  Arabic  on  the  Lord's 
day. 

A  few  years  ago  the  North  Africa  Mission,  which  had  sta- 
tions at  various  points  on  the  northern  coast  of  Africa,  opened 
work  in  Alexandria,  with  the  avowed  object  of  extending  its 
operations  to  other  points  in  the  delta.  It  has  a  small  school 
for  girls  on  Ras  et-Tin,  Alexandria,  not  far  from  the  spot  where 
Dr.  Lansing  commenced  his  work  in  Egypt.  This  mission  re- 
stricts its  efforts  to  the  Muhammadan  portion  of  the  population. 

The  Church  Mission  Society  opened  work  in  Cairo  soon 
after  the  British  occupation  of  Egypt,  with  special  reference  to 
the  conversion  of  Muslims.  It  has  in  Old  Cairo  a  flourishing 
medical  department  and  schools  for  boys  and  girls.  In  Cairo  it 
has  a  boarding  school  for  girls  and  a  day  school  for  boys,  with 
divine  services  in  Arabic. 

The  entrance  of  the  C.  M.  S.  and  the  N.  A.  M.  into  a  field  so 
long  occupied  by  us,  has  been  regarded  as  a  breach  of  mission 
comity,  and  some  correspondence  has  taken  place  on  the  subject 
between  them  and  our  Board,  the  result  of  which  has  not  yet 
transpired. 


4o8  The  American  Mission 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Workers  and  converts— Division  of  workers— Presbyterial  workers— Pastors, 
their  work  and  character— Licentiates— Local  preachers— Theological  students- 
Wages  paid  to  each  class— Workers  under  Missionary  Association— Teachers- 
Salesmen  in  bookshops— Coborteurs—Zenana  workers— Teachers  of  mission- 
aries—Their pay— Church  members— Gospel  preached  to  all— Converts  mostly 
from  Copts— Copts  need  the  Gospel— Character  of  church  members— How  led  to 
conversion— Deep  conviction  of  sin  often  wanting— Many  cases  of  marked  change 
of  conduct— interesting  examples. 

WORKERS  UNDER  PRESBYTERY. 

The  workers  naturally  divide  themselves  into  two  classes 
with  reference  to  the  body  from  which  they  receive  their  ap- 
pointments, and  unto  which  they  are  responsible.  Some  are 
appointed  by  the  presbytery,  and  some  by  the  Missionary 
Association.  Presbytery  is  composed  of  all  the  ordained  min- 
isters of  the  Word,  whether  foreign  or  native,  and  one  elder 
from  every  congregation.  The  Missionary  Association  is  com- 
posed of  all  foreign  missionaries,  lay  and  clerical,  on  the  field. 
The  workers  who  are  under  the  appointment  and  direction  of 
presbytery  are  the  pastors,  unsettled  ministers,  licentiates, 
and  what  our  Methodist  brethren  would  call  local  preachers, 
and  theological  students  during  their  vacations.  These  workers 
are  entirely  under  the  control  of  presbytery.  Their  appoint- 
ments are  made  by  presbytery,  and  their  wages  or  salary  is 
fixed  by  presbytery.  They  are  accountable  to  presbytery,  not 
only  for  their  teaching,  but  for  their  conduct  and  their  work. 
No  missionary  has  any  control  over  them  unless  he  has  been 
authorized  to  do  so  by  presbytery;  even  the  part  of  their 
wages  or  salary  coming  from  the  Missionary  Association  cannot 
be  withheld  by  the  mission  treasurers  for  any  cause  whatever, 
unless  by  order  of  presbytery,  of  which  the  large  majority  of 
the  members  at  present  are  natives. 


o 


IN  Egypt. 


409 


The  native  pastors  at  present  are  twenty-one.     A  goodly- 
number  of  them  are  earnest  ministers  of  the  Word.     Their  work 
resembles  the  work  of  the  pastors  at  home.     Most  of  them  con- 
duct evening  meetings  five  or  six  times  during  the  week,  a  cus- 
tom which,  though  there  is  something  to  be  said  in  its  favor, 
yet  is  a  heavy  drain  on  the  pastor's  strength,  and  interferes 
greatly  with  his  making  thorough  preparation  for  the  Sabbath 
services.     He  is  driven,  for  want  of  time,  to  the  habit  of  speak- 
ing on  a  verse  or  passage  of  Scripture  without  having  under- 
stood its  bearings  or  its  full  meaning.     Egyptians  are  generally 
gifted  with  a  readiness  of  expression  and  a  rich  flow  of  words, 
and  this  enables  the  pastors  and  other  preachers  to  conduct 
these  daily  meetings  and  preach  twice  on  Sabbath,  a  task  which 
the  western  perhaps  could  not,  and  certainly  would  not  per- 
form.    In  most  cases,  however,  the  consequence  of  the  custom 
is  seen  in  the  meagreness  of  the  thought  and  the  illogicalness 
of  the  arrangement.     Besides,  the  custom  takes  the  men  away 
from  their  homes  until  about  two  hours  after  sunset,  and  thus 
prevents  the  observance  of  family  prayers,  for  the  children  will 
have  retired,  and  sometimes  the  women,  too,  before  the  men 
return  to  their  homes.     Some  of  the  pastors  are  trying  to  re- 
duce the  number  of  evening  meetings  for  their  own  sakes  and 
the  sake  of  family  religion,  but  habit  is  so  strong  in  Egypt  that 
as  one  has  said,  "If  only  the  Egyptians  got  into  the  habit  of 
being  good  for  a  few  years,  they  would  continue  to  be  good 
out  of  sheer  force  of  habit." 

On  account  of  the  small  number  of  native  pastors  and  the 
large  number  of  villages  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  their 
pastorates,  in  which  Protestant  families  reside,  the  pastor's 
services  are  often  required  for  funerals  and  marriages,  and 
cases  of  sickness  and  dissensions.  He  is  expected  to  go  any- 
where at  any  time,  not  only  on  religious  business,  but  also  im- 
portant secular  matters,  for  those  who  profess  his  Protestant 
faith.  The  preacher  is  every  person's  servant,  indeed  every 
one's  slave.  Their  faithfulness  in  the  performance  of  the 
duties  of  the  pastorate  deserves  great  praise.  They  faith- 
fully attend  all  meetings  of  presbytery,  and  take  a  deep  and 
intelligent  interest  in  its  proceedings.    In  general,  they  compare 


410  The  American  Mission 

favorably  with  the  pastors  at  home.  On  account  of  their  many 
and  arduous  duties  in  behalf  of  others,  I  think  they  are  in  dan- 
ger too  often  of  neglecting  personal  piety,  and  therefore  a  cer- 
tain want  of  spirituality  is  manifest,  hi  fact,  all  workers,  in 
Egypt,  both  foreign  and  native,  need  to  remember  that  they 
can  best  perform  their  duties  to  others  by  rising  higher  in  the 
divine  life,  and  getting  more  and  more  under  the  power  of  'the 
divine  Spirit. 

The  licentiates  at  present  are  twenty-two.  Some  of  them 
have  a  long  time  been  going  about  among  the  churches  and 
Protestant  communities,  and  have  not  received  any  call  to  be- 
come pastors.  They  have  all  done  some  good  work  for  the 
Master,  even  those  whom  we  no  longer  expect  will  become 
pastors.  In  new  places  the  least  qualified  oftentimes  are  very 
useful.  It  is  a  matter  of  thankfulness  that  the  Lord  some- 
times blesses  the  weakest  instrument,  as  well  as  the  strongest, 
but  it  is  very  evident  that  the  native  communities  are  no  longer 
satisfied  with  those  who  are  wanting  in  natural  talent  and  in 
intellectual  training.  The  best  young  men  generally  find  a 
settlement  soon  after  completing  their  course  of  study.  Not 
unfrequently  one  cause  of  the  licentiate's  want  of  success  and 
acceptability  is  the  ignorance  and  imprudence  of  his  wife.  The 
majority  of  the  workers,  whether  pastors  or  licentiates,  formed 
family  alliances  without  any  reference  to  anything  besides 
"  bread-making"  and  other  domestic  qualifications.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  in  the  future  young  men  looking  forward  to  the 
ministry  will  marry  those  who  will  be  an  example  of  cleanliness, 
and  order  in  their  homes,  and  of  intelligence  and  piety  in  their 
intercourse  with  the  women  of  the  churches. 

The  local  preachers  are  eleven.  They  are  men  who  have 
had  little  or  no  training  in  our  educational  institutions,  but  who 
on  account  of  their  activity  and  usefulness  in  Christian  work  in 
their  own  towns  gave  evidence  of  being  useful  and  acceptable 
for  a  time  in  new  places.  Some  of  them  had  been  teachers, 
some  had  been  colporteurs,  and  for  lack  of  trained  men  presby- 
tery employed  them  to  supply  in  part  the  ever-increasing 
demands  of  the  field,  for  every  year  the  paucity  of  laborers  has 
been  deeply  felt. 


IN   EGYPT.  411 

The  theological  students  are  nine.  These  attend  the  theo- 
logical seminary  from  the  first  of  November  to  the  end  of  May, 
and  are  employed  by  presbytery  as  local  preachers  from  the 
first  of  June  to  the  end  of  October.  In  using  them  in  religious 
work  during  their  vacation,  they  are  thus  being  trained  in  and 
for  the  work,  and  a  trial  of  their  talents  and  capabilities  is  being 
made  before  they  advance  too  far  to  be  withdrawn  without 
difficulty. 

The  salaries  of  the  pastors  are  fixed  by  their  congregations 
and  presbytery.  No  congregation  is  allowed  a  pastor  unless  it 
pays  at  least  one-half  of  the  salary.  Nearly  all  pay  more  than 
half,  two  are  self-supporting,  and  several  more  are  almost  so. 
The  whole  salary  ranges  from  twenty  to  fifty  dollars  a  month, 
according  to  circumstances. 

The  licentiates  receive  from  fifteen  to  twenty  dollars,  and 
the  local  preachers  and  theological  students  from  ^11.50  to  fif- 
teen dollars  a  month,  according  to  the  places  where  they  labor. 
Part  of  the  wages  are  paid  by  the  Protestant  communities  in 
which  they  minister. 

WORKERS  UNDER  THE  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION. 

These  are  teachers  in  schools  under  mission  control,  sales- 
men in  book  depots,  colporteurs,  zenana  workers  and  teachers 
of  missionaries.  The  teachers  are,  with  few  exceptions,  mem- 
bers of  the  Church,  and  are  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  the 
aims  of  the  mission.  Most  of  them  have  been  trained  in  our 
own  schools.  They  receive  a  fixed  monthly  wage  from  the 
mission,  and  the  tuitions  collected  go  into  the  mission  treasury. 
Their  wages  differ  greatly,  and  range  from  eight  to  forty  dollars 
for  males,  according  to  their  talents  and  their  ability  to  teach 
the  higher  branches  of  education.  The  wages  of  the  female 
teachers  range  from  two  up  to  twenty  dollars  a  month.  Sales- 
men's wages  range  from  $12.50  up  to  twenty  dollars  ;  colport- 
eurs' wages  from  $8.50  up  to  fifteen  dollars  ;  zenana  workers, 
from  four  up  to  twelve  dollars. 

CHURCH  MEMBERS. 

Our  mission  in  Egypt  was  established  in  obedience  to  the 
command  of  the  Lord  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature. 


412  The  American  Mission 

no  inatttT  what  may  be  his  nationality  or  religious  faith.  The 
Gospel  is  for  sinners  of  every  clime  and  profession.  It  has 
been  the  aim  of  our  mission  to  proclaim  the  Gospel  in  Egypt  to 
all,  whether  Jews,  Muhammadans  or  nominal  Christians.  Our 
schools  have  been  open  to  all.  The  printed  Word  has  been 
carried  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  and  offered 
to  all  alike.  Many  Muslims  have  purchased  copies  of  the  whole 
book,  or  of  parts  of  it.  Many  learned  sheikhs  have  bought 
copies  of  it  from  our  shops  and  our  colporteurs.  From  the  very 
beginning  many  Muslims  have  been  in  our  schools,  where  direct 
Christian  instruction  is  openly  given.  In  1896  there  were  en- 
rolled in  our  Protestant  schools  2,280  Muslim  pupils.  In  our 
four  schools  in  Cairo  there  were  during  the  same  year  41 1  Mus- 
lim pupils,  who  every  morning  attended  the  opening  exercises, 
at  which  a  plain  Gospel  address  is  made  and  a  Christian  prayer 
offered,  and  every  day  forty-five  minutes  were  spent  in  the 
class-room  with  the  pupils,  giving  them  a  lesson  in  Christian 
doctrines  and  life  in  the  study  of  the  scriptures.  We  have  had, 
and  now  have,  far  more  Muslims  under  Christian  training  and 
influence  than  all  the  other  mission  agencies  in  Egypt,  and  their 
salvation  is  just  as  earnestly  sought  as  that  of  the  Jews  or  the 
Copts.  We  are  just  as  glad,  too,  to  enter  the  door  of  a  Muham- 
madan  as  the  door  of  a  Copt,  and  rejoice  just  as  much  at  the 
conversion  of  the  former  as  of  the  latter,  and  use  just  the  same 
means  to  convert  the  one  as  the  other.  Yet  it  will  have  been 
gathered  from  what  I  have  written,  that  by  far  the  larger  num- 
ber of  our  church  members  are  converts  from  the  corrupt  East- 
ern Churches,  and  especially  from  the  Copts.  The  reason  for 
this  is  not  difficult  to  find.  Their  great  spiritual  destitution,  as 
learned  from  personal  contact  with  them,  sympathy  with  those 
who  bear  the  Christian  name,  and  their  love  for  and  readiness 
to  receive  the  Word  of  God  and  follow  its  teachings,  are  the 
chief  reasons  for  our  efforts  being  put  forth  and  success  being 
achieved  among  these  "  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."  It 
is  all  very  well  for  our  high  church  friends  to  look  through  his- 
tory with  reverence  upon  the  old  Eastern  Christian  Church,  to 
look  superficially  and  approvingly  at  her  gaudy  ritual  in  some 
of  the  great  centers  of  the  Nile  valley,  and  then  to  write  regret- 


IN  Egypt.  413 

fully  and  censoriously  about  the  sacrilege  of  the  American  Mis- 
sion in  breaking  up  the  Holy  Eastern  Catholic  Church ;  but  if 
they  are  in  real  earnest  about  the  salvation  of  the  Coptic  peo- 
ple, and  will  accompany  me  to  their  homes  in  the  cities,  towns, 
and  villages,  and  even  into  the  houses  of  the  priests  and  the 
monasteries,  whose  inmates  are  supposed  to  spend  their  time  in 
worshiping  God,  I  am  sure  that  a  month  would  not  pass  before 
they  would  acknowledge  that  the  great  majority  of  the  Copts, 
up  to  the  present  time,  are  utterly  destitute  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  way  of  salvation.     They  know  little  more  of  true  reirgion 
than  the  Muhammadans.     Christ  is  not  their  Saviour,  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  not  their  sanctifier,  the  commandments  of  God  are  not 
their  rule  of  life.     Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  not  their  example,  and 
is  not  now  their  Mediator.     They  know  nothing  of  justification 
by  faith  in  the  death  and  suffering  of  Christ ;  nothing  of  the 
new  birth  and  divine  life  in  union  u^ith  Jesus  through" the  in- 
dwelling Spirit.    Their  family  and  social  life  are  utterfy  corrupt, 
and  the  influence  of  most  of  their  spiritual  leaders  is  bad  to  the 
last  degree.*     We  have  seen  them  in  their  homes,  we  have 
talked  to  them  in  their  own  language,  we  have  seen  them  in 
their  joys  and  in  their  sorrows,  we  know  them  in  all  relations 
of  life,  we  know  their  habits,  their  modes  of  doing  business, 
and  the  character  of  their  amusements.     They  have  freely  told 
us  their  thoughts.     We  care  not  what  men  may  say  about  our 
work  among  them,  to  our  own  Master  we  stand  or  fall.     We 
are  only  sorry  that  we  have  not  been  able  to  do  more  for  this 
interesting  people,  for  it  is  our  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God 
that  they  may  be  saved.     And  we  know  that  salvation  is  not 
by  gaudy  ritual,  nor  by  an  ancient  priesthood,  nor  by  the  inter- 
cession of  saints,  nor  by  worshiping  pictures,  nor  by  the  con- 
fessional and  transubstantiation,  nor  by  a  hoary  antiquity,  but 
by  the  precious  blood  of  Christ.     It  has  been,  and  will  be',  the 
endeavor  of  the  American  Mission  to  bring  Coptic  people,  as 
well  as  others,  to  a  knowledge  of  the  Christ  and  the  Saviour, 
and  to  a  believing,  loving,  reliance  upon  His  blood  for  the  sal- 
vation  of  their  souls,  whatever  critics  may  say  of  us.     We  are 

*  I  mean  those  who  have  not  come  under  the  influence,  directly  or  indirectly 
or  missionaries.  ' 


414  The  American  Mission 

glad  that  so  many  Egyptians  have  been  ah'eady  led  to  take 
Jesus  as  their  Saviour,  and  depend  on  His  work,  not  their  own, 
for  their  salvation. 

We  rejoice  to  be  able  to  say  that  the  members  of  our 
churches  belong  to  all  classes  of  society,  all  trades  and  all  pro- 
fessions. Some  of  them  are  rich,  some  poor,  some  highly  edu- 
cated, some  cannot  read — inhabitants  of  cities  and  towns  as  well 
as  country  villages.  Though  few  of  them  are  model  Christians, 
and  many  of  them  but  dimly  reflect  the  image  of  their  Lord  and 
Saviour,  yet  perhaps  as  large  a  proportion  of  them,  as  profess- 
ing Christians  at  home,  have  the  root  of  the  matter  in  them. 
Some  there  are  who,  regarding  their  relations  to  the  mission, 
might  be  supposed  to  have  been,  and  perhaps  to  be,  influenced  by 
worldly  motives  ;  and  yet  to  assert  this  in  regard  to  them  might 
also  be  doing  them  a  great  wrong,  for  their  being  in  the  service 
of  the  mission  cannot  surely  be  a  conclusive  proof  of  the  exist- 
ence of  worldly  motives,  as  it  naturally  has  been  the  custom  of 
the  mission,  in  employing  native  agents,  to  select  the  men  best 
qualified  for  the  work.  Besides  many  of  those  in  the  employ 
of  the  mission  would  get  better  pay  in  other  departments. 
That  worldly  motives  often  operate  to  bring  the  native  in  con- 
tact with  the  missionaries  may  be  admitted,  but  is  not  this  the 
case  in  any  land,  and  are  not  worldly  movements  and  inten- 
tions of  men  often  used  by  God  as  the  means  for  bringing  them 
under  the  influence  of  the  Gospel .''  That  there  are  persons 
among  them  that  have  the  spirit  of  worldlings,  1  readily  admit ; 
but  this  is  not  restricted  to  Egypt,  or  Egyptians  and  Syrians. 

In  most  instances,  however,  I  think  that  the  change  froin 
Copticism  to  Protestantism  has  been  an  intellectual  change,  a 
change  founded  on  the  principle  that  the  Word  of  God  is  the 
only  rule  of  faith  and  practice.  The  sincere  inquirer  accepting 
this  principle  has  taken  up  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  and  read  them,  and  found  in  them  nothing  to  con- 
firm the  distinctive  doctrines  and  practices  of  the  Coptic  Church, 
but  much  to  show  their  opposition  to  God's  revealed  will,  while 
at  the  same  time  he  has  found  the  doctrines  and  practices  of  the 
Protestants  abundantly  confirmed.  Gradually  he  has  been  led 
to  clear  views  of  faith,  repentance,  the  new  birth,  true  spiritual 


IN  Egypt.  415 

life,  and  the  necessity  for  their  existence  and  exhibition  in  his 
own  personal  history.  Generally,  conversion  has  come  on  these 
lines,  and  not  on  a  sudden  conviction  of  great  sinfulness,  or  a 
time,  long  or  short,  of  deep  agony  of  soul,  leading  almost  to 
despair,  and  then  a  revelation  within  of  the  love  and  saving 
grace  of  Jesus  Christ. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  few  of  our  converts  in  Egypt 
have  apparently  had  such  clear  conceptions  of  the  exceeding 
sinfulness  of  sin,  and  such  deep  conviction  and  spiritual  agony 
almost  leading  to  despair,  as  is  often  seen  in  the  West.  Seldom, 
indeed,  have  any  of  the  missionaries  seen  persons  in  the  church 
weeping  over  their  sins,  or  met  in  practice  persons  deeply  con- 
cerned for  themselves  on  account  of  their  sins.  Conscience 
does  not  seem  to  be  as  tender,  as  clear  and  as  decisive  in  its 
judgments  as  in  those  who  have  been  brought  up  in  Christian 
lands.  And  yet  cases  are  not  wanting,  though  they  are  few, 
where  there  has  been  deep  conviction,  and  where  copious  tears 
have  been  shed  from  the  sense  of  sinfulness.  In  many,  too, 
the  change  wrought  in  their  lives  is  so  manifest  that  there  can 
be  no  doubt  of  a  real  change  having  been  effected  in  their 
hearts.  Some  have,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  near  relatives 
or  of  the  loss  of  their  position,  left  their  former  religious  con- 
victions. Some  have  had  to  give  up  habits  very  strong  and  very 
dear  to  them.  There  are  some  in  our  Church  at  the  present 
time  of  whom  Paul's  words  written  to  the  Corinthians  are 
strictly  applicable  (i  Corinthians  6:9-11):  "Know  ye  not 
that  the  unrighteous  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God?  Be 
not  deceived  ;  neither  fornicators,  nor  idolators,  nor  adulterers, 
nor  effeminate,  nor  abusers  of  themselves  v^-ith  mankind.  * 
*  *  Nor  thieves,  nor  covetous,  nor  drunkards,  nor  revilers, 
nor  extortioners,  shall  inlierit  the  kingdom  of  God.  *  *  * 
And  such  were  some  of  you  :  but  ye  are  washed,  but  ye  are 
sanctified,  but  ye  are  justified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God."  Drunkards  have  become  total 
abstainers,  and  liars  have  become  truthful,  thieves  have  become 
honest,  the  impure  of  thought  and  vile  of  action  have  become 
chaste,  and  the  proud  have  become  humble.  Some  have  con- 
tributed liberally  of  their  means,  others  have  given  up  much  of 


4i6  The  American  Mission 

their  time  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  The  opposition  of 
ignorant  relatives,  especially  females  under  the  power  of  the 
priests,  has  often  been  very  strong.  One  man,  by  name 
Ekhnookh,  a  reformed  drunkard  in  Asyut,  was  so  pestered  by 
his  wife  for  years,  that  at  last  he  said  to  her,  as  if  in  despair, 
"  I  will  go  back  to  the  Copts,  but  mind  you  I  will  go  back  to 
drinking  whiskey,  squander  the  money,  come  home  drunk,  and 
beat  you  and  the  children  as  formerly."  When  she  heard  this 
and  remembered  what  she  formerly  had  to  endure,  she  begged 
him  to  remain  a  Protestant,  and  ever  after  kept  quiet.  Very 
often  those  who  had  been  the  strictest  in  keeping  all  the  Coptic 
fasts,  feasts  and  traditions  of  the  fathers,  have  been,  after  con- 
version, the  most  upright,  earnest  and  godly  evangelicals.  A 
man  in  the  delta,  formerly  known  far  and  wide  as  the  saint  of 
the  Coptic  Church,  who  a  long  time  deplored  the  state  of  his 
brother  because  he  had  ceased  to  keep  the  Coptic  fasts  and  had 
embraced  the  evangelical  faith  and  joined  the  United  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  who  was  a  very  Paul  in  his  zeal  for  the 
traditions  of  the  fathers,  was  brought  to  a  saving  knowledge  of 
the  truth  and  to  a  humble  reliance  on  the  death  of  Christ  for 
the  pardon  of  his  sins,  instead  of  depending  on  his  fasting  and 
prayers  as  formerly,  and  is  now  as  faithful  and  zealous  in  his 
Christian  life  in  keeping  the  commands  of  God  as  he  was  in 
the  observance  of  the  commandments  of  men  in  regard  to  eat- 
ing and  drinking  and  other  outward  acts.  Though  in  the  ser- 
vice of  a  Muhammadan  government,  he  has  for  years  so  de- 
ported himself  in  his  work  that  his  superiors  allow  him  to  keep 
his  Sabbaths  while  the  other  scribes  have  to  work  on  that  day. 
One  of  our  most  zealous  and  upright  members  was  once  a 
highway  robber.  His  name  is  Khalil  Makhail,  and  now  lives 
in  Dakuf,  a  small  town  on  the  edge  of  the  western  desert, 
about  half  way  from  Cairo  to  Asyut.  He  was  born  in  1850, 
and  lived  with  his  relatives  twenty  years,  then  went  across  to 
the  east  side  of  the  river  and  joined  a  band  of  Bedouin  Arabs 
who  lived  by  plundering,  and  especially  by  stealing  from 
boats  going  up  and  down  the  Nile.  He  became  an  active  par- 
ticipant in  all  manner  of  crimes,  and  the  fearless  and  dreaded 
leader  of  the  band  for  about  fifteen  years.     He  was  a  violator 


Xi 

u 

a! 
<V 


-a 
h4 


IN  Egypt.  417 

of  all  the  commands  of  the  Decalogue,  except  perhaps  the  sixth, 
which  he  also  broke  in  intention  if  not  in  deed.     One  night  he 
went  out  on  a  plundering  expedition  at  the  time  of  high  Nile, 
and  succeeded  in  taking  some  valuable  booty,  which  he*" carried 
with  him  on  the  float  on  which  he  was  crossing.     The  wind 
was  strong  and  drove  the  sand  in  his  eyes  like  sharp  needles 
so  that  he  had  to  close  them,  and  therefore  he  lost  his  bearinas 
and  was  driven  about  on  the  water.     In  the  darkness  of  the 
night  and  in  the  midst  of  the  great  river  he  was  turned  about 
until  he  nearly  lost  all  hope.     His  conscience  accused  him  of 
his  sins,  but  he  made  no  vow  of  repentance,  though  he  was  in 
the  greatest  danger.     Another  time  he  heard  that  a  boat  filled 
with  valuable  goods  coming  from  Cairo  was  wrecked  near  the 
place  where  he  resided,  and  that  divers  had  been  secured  to 
save  as  much  of  the  cargo  as  possible.     They  succeeded  in 
taking  out  thirteen  bales  of  cotton  goods  and  left  the  rest  eiah- 
teen  bales,  until  the  next  day,  setting  a  watch  lest  wreckers 
should  come  by  night  and  steal  them.     Khalil  made  a  pretence 
of  getting  into  the  river  to  bathe  near  the  place  of  the  wreck 
in  order  that  he  might  make  a  survey  and  see  if  he  could  seize 
some  of  the  goods.     He  discovered  that  there  was  a  good  oppor- 
tunity to  enrich  himself,  and  so  after  dark  he  came  down  to  the 
wreck  and  managed  to  get  out  a  quantity  of  the  cotton  goods 
and  carried  them  to  a  place  of  concealment.     Next  day  the 
owner  of  the  goods  came  down  to  the  wreck  with  a  number  of 
persons  to  take  out  the  rest  of  the  bales,  and  Khalil  went  down 
also  to  see  whether  there  was  any  chance  to  make  a  penny  by 
stealing  or   otherwise.      When  Khalil   reached  the  scene   he 
found  the  merchant  sitting  on  the  bank  eating  bread  and  cheese 
although  It  was  the  season  of  fasting.     Horrified  at  the  sight 
Khahl  commenced  reproaching  him  for  his  irreliaion      Excus- 
ing himself  a  little  the  merchant,  looking  Khalil  steadily  in  the 
face,  asked  him,  "Don't  you  steal?"  "Yes,"  replied  Khalil 
"I  have  stolen  a  bale  from  this  wreck  containing  120  webs  of 
cotton   goods"      -Is     that    all?"     -Yes,"    replied    Khalil. 
1  nen,     said  the  merchant  -  don't  you  swear  ?"  "  Yes  "  re 
plied  Khalil.     -Then,"  said  the  merchant,   -put  my    eatin- 
biead  and  cheese  against  your  swearing  and  stealing,  and  strike 
27 


4i8  The  American  Mission 

a  balance."     This  led  to  a  long  conversation  between  the  two, 
during  which  it  came  out  that  they  had  mutual  acquaintances 
in  Minya,  where  the  merchant  resided.     That  night  Khalil  in- 
vited the  merchant  to  his  house   and  made  a  -big  supper  for 
him.     After  supper  the  merchant  took  out  of  his  pocket  a  New 
Testament  (for  he  was  a  member  of  our  church  at  Minya)  and 
asked  Khalil  if  he  might  read  a  passage  from  God's  Word  in 
the  hearing  of  himself  and  family.     This  request  was  to  Khalil 
a  very  strange  one,  but  to  please  his  guest  he  brought  out  his 
old  mother  to  hear.     The  rest  of  the  family  would  not  come,  as 
they  understood  the  request  to  have  been  made  as  a  means  of 
gratifying  evil  thoughts.     The  merchant   read  a  portion  of  i 
Peter  2.     Khalil  listened  with  the  closest  attention  and  greatest 
astonishment,  as  this  was  the  first  time  he  had  ever  heard  the 
Word  of  God  read  in  that  way,  although  he  was  a  Copt.    Then 
the  merchant  led  in  prayer.     In  the  morning  they  went  to- 
gether to  Maghagha,  and  a  bargain  was  struck  between  the  two 
for  getting  out  the  rest  of  the  goods  from  the  boat.     Khalil  was 
to  receive  five  dollars  and  one  web  of  the  goods  for  every  bale 
he  got  out.     Notwithstanding  this  agreement,  Khalil  managed 
to  conceal  one  or  two  webs  from  each  bale  and  kept  them  for 
himself,  and  the  rest  he  delivered  to  the  merchant,  who  re- 
ceived the  goods   with   expressions   of  thanks   and  paid  the 
amount  agreed  upon,  half  of  which  Khalil  took  to  himself  and 
the  other  half  he  gave  to  his  comrades,  without  telling  them 
anything  about  what  he  had   stolen.     After  this  Khalil  visited 
Minya  and  called  upon  the  merchant  there,  who  took  him  to 
Mr.   Bashai  Hanna,  who  was  then  preaching  there  as  a  licen- 
tiate.    Mr.   Hanna  read  and  explained   to   him   the  fifteenth 
chapter  of   Luke  and  asked   God's  blessing  upon  him.     This 
awoke  his  conscience  and  touched  his  heart  so  that  he  could  not 
sleep  all  night  from  the  thought  of  his  awful  sins.     Then  Khalil 
fell  in  with  Ibrahim  Marzook,  of  El  Kom  el-Akhdar,  and  intro- 
duced himself  to  him.     Ibrahim  said,  "Are  you  the  man  that 
intended  to  kill  me  at  such  and  such  a  time  ?"  "  Yes,"  he  re- 
plied, "  I  am  he."     Ibrahim  then  took  him  to  his  house,  where 
a  number  of  Protestants  were  collected,  who  talked  with  him  a 
long  time  on  religion  and  the  way  of  salvation,   and  from  that 


IN  Egypt.  419 

time  he  was  accustomed  to  meet  with  them  frequently  in  spite 
of  the  opposition  and  curses  of  his  father  and  other  relatives, 
who  saw  a  great  change  had  come  over  him  and  said  to  him,' 
"What  has  come  over  you?    They  have  turned  your  head, 
those  cursed  Protestants.     You  were  better  than  them  all." 
They  then  threatened  him  and  cursed  him,  and  entreated  him  not 
to  bring  disgrace  upon  the  family  by  meeting  with  these  "ac- 
cursed people."     But  the  grace  of  God  was  given  to  him,  and 
the  Spirit  wrought  in  him  until  he  was  brought  to  the  light  and  to 
peace  in  believing  in  Jesus  for  the  saving  of  his  soul.     He  made 
an  open  profession  of  his  faith  at  El  Kom  on  the  occasion  of  a 
visit  there  from  Dr.  Harvey,  then  he  moved  his  residence  to 
another  town  away  from  his  wicked  comrades,  and  has  become 
a  power  for  good  to  many  and  a  means  of  promoting  God's 
glory  in  all  that  country.     I  visited  him  and  his  brethren  two 
years  ago  on  a  Sabbath  during  the  meeting  of  presbytery  at 
Suft  el-Laben,  and  I  never  spent  a  happier  Sabbath.     How  the 
people  listened  !    How  they  sang  !    It  was  good  to  be   there 
among  such  an  earnest  simple-minded  people. 


420  The  American  Mission 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
FOREIGN  MISSIONARIES. 

Their  position— Their  work — Their  qualifications— The  work  of  each  mission- 
ary on  the  field. 

In  the  previous  chapter  I  have  spoken  of  the  native  worI<ers, 
and  I  now  wish  to  add  a  few  pages  about  the  foreign  workers 
of  the  American  Mission  in  Egypt  and  their  work,  that  those 
who  have  not  had  the  means  of  knowing  what  they  are  doing 
and  what  they  are  expected  to  do  may  be  informed  and  the 
Church  at  home  better  understand  the  foreign  mission  problem. 

The  presence  of  the  foreign  worker  in  any  mission  field  is 
temporary,  and  his  work  initiatory.  How  long  he  is  to  remain 
depends  on  circumstances,  but  it  should  be  only  so  long  as  may 
be  necessary  for  laying  the  foundations  of  the  native  Church, 
setting  in  motion  the  various  departments  of  Christian  work, 
and  raising  up  and  training  native  workers  to  carry  on  the  work 
of  these  departments.  If  properly  qualified  for  the  work,  the 
sooner  the  natives  are  left  to  grow  in  Christian  manhood  and 
develop  in  Christian  activities,  without  leaning  upon  or  looking 
up  to  foreigners,  the  better.  Foreign  missionaries  are  never,  in 
this  mission,  eligible  to  the  pastorate  of  native  congregations. 
They  may  act  as  stated  supply  for  a  time,  but  if  the  time  be 
long,  general  injury  is  done  to  the  congregation  on  some  lines. 
It  should  always  be  remembered  by  the  Church  at  home,  and 
by  the  missionaries  themselves,  that  foreign  missionaries, 
whether  male  or  female,  are  beginning  a  work  which  sooner  or 
later  is  to  be  turned  over  to  the  natives,  and  that  the  great  aim 
of  their  labors  and  prayers  should  be  to  bring  the  natives  to  feel 
their  responsibility,  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  the  work, 
and  to  understand  the  necessity  for  thorough  preparation  for  it. 


IN  Egypt.  421 

The  efforts  of  the  foreign  missionary  should  be  put  forth  in 
training  natives  for  the  work  and  in  the  work.  If  they  only  do 
themselves,  and  fail  to  teach  natives  to  do,  they  fail  in  doing 
their  duty.  Foreign  missionaries,  however  many  may  be  sent 
to  Egypt,  can  never  be  the  chief  means  of  evangelizing  and  con- 
verting the  inhabitants  of  the  Nile  valley.  It  must  be  done  by 
natives  trained  under  the  influence  of  zealous  educators  and 
Christian  institutions,  and  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God.  The 
Church  of  Christ  in  Egypt,  in  order  to  be  a  power  for  influenc- 
ing the  nation,  must  become  indigenous  and  assume  an  Egyptian 
garb  in  everything  that  is  lawful,  and  its  permanent  workers 
must  be  those  whose  nationality,  as  well  as  religious  life,  ap- 
peals to  the  sympathies  of  those  among  whom  they  labor. 

The  missionaries  assembled  in  accordance  with  the  con- 
stitution given  in  Chapter  XVIII,  form  the  body  which 
appoints  and  governs  the  missionaries  on  the  field.  Each  mis- 
sionary, whether  old  or  young,  experienced  or  inexperienced, 
lay  or  clerical,  has  a  vote  in  this  association.  All  questions  are 
decided  and  all  appointments  made  by  a  simple  majority  of  the 
votes  cast.  Each  missionary  receives  an  appointment  to  a  par- 
ticular work,  for  which  he  or  she  is  responsible  to  the  associa- 
tion alone,  not  to  any  other  missionary.  No  missionary  has 
any  superintendence  over  another  on  the  field,  though  friendly 
consultations  are  often  held  by  workers  at  the  same  stations. 
Unlike  some  other  missions,  ours  has  no  head.  Of  course  there 
will  always  be  a  senior  member,  but  he  has  no  authority  over 
the  rest,  except  that  on  certain  occasions  he  may  take  the  lead, 
in  accordance  with  custom  and  etiquette.  The  secretary  of  the 
association  is  the  only  means  of  communication  between  the 
association  and  the  Board,  and  vice  versa. 

The  missionaries  on  the  field  are  twenty-seven,  not  includ- 
ing the  married  ladies.  Not  more  than  two-thirds  of  these  are 
yet  able  to  use  the  language  with  profit  to  the  people.  Some 
are  on'y  beginning  to  learn  it,  and  cannot  be  expected  to  make 
much  practical  use  of  it  on  spiritual  lines  for  several  years  to 
come.  Without  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  language  and  compara- 
tive facility  in  speaking  it,  a  man  or  woman  is  of  little  use. 
Except  under  unusual  circumstances,  little  good  can  be  accom- 


422  The  American  Mission 

plished  through  an  interpreter,  and  no  one  of  our  number  has 
ever  proposed  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  that  way.  As  the  Arabic 
language  is  very  difficult,  both  in  its  construction  and  its  pro- 
nunciation, and  is  very  extensive  in  its  vocabulary,  and  differs 
so  widely  from  all  Western  languages,  the  number  of  mission- 
aries who  acquire  a  thorough  knowledge  of  it  is  very  few.  Not 
one  of  the  missionaries  at  present  on  the  field  can  be  called  an 
Arabic  scholar,  and  no  one  has  any  right  to  boast  in  this  matter, 
though  most  of  the  older  ones  speak  it  profitably  and  acceptably. 
Perhaps  some  of  the  younger  missionaries  may  yet  become 
scholars,  but  if  they  do  it  will  be  after  much  study  and  practice, 
even  if  they  should  have  considerable  linguistic  talent. 

I  fear  that  the  Church  at  home,  the  young  men  who  come 
out,  and  the  Board  do  not  sufficiently  appreciate  the  importance 
of  this  subject.  1  wish  I  could  make  the  Church  at  home  and 
the  Board  feel  that  it  is  not  quantity  we  need  now,  but  quality.  No 
matter  how  devoted,  pious,  zealous  and  full  of  the  Spirit  a  young 
man  may  be,  if  he  has  not  some  ability  for  learning  languages 
and  is  studious  in  his  habits,  so  as  to  persevere  year  after  year 
until  he  masters  the  Arabic,  he  will  be  a  failure  as  a  missionary.  - 
The  Spirit  of  God  does  not  confer  upon  a  man  the  ability  to 
speak  in  a  language  he  has  not  learned.  Much  of  the  Church's 
money  may  be  wasted  in  this  way.  But  this,  perhaps,  is  not 
the  greatest  part  of  the  injury  done.  At  the  present  stage  of 
the  work  in  Egypt,  there  are  many  educated  and  acceptable 
native  preachers,  so  that  the  people  no  longer  care  to  listen  to 
the  Gospel  spoken  in  "broken"  language.  Besides,  they 
do  not  respect  a  man  who  has  been  a  sufficient  time  in  the 
country,  and  is  not  able  to  express  himself  intelligibly  in  the 
vernacular.  They  speak  freely  of  the  waste  of  money  in  sup- 
porting him  on  the  field,  while  other  interests  are  suffering  for 
want  of  means  to  support  them.  Generally,  the  man  who  suc- 
ceeds best  is  he  who  has  in  college  given  evidence  of  having  a 
talent  for  languages,  and  has  close  habits  of  study,  and  comes 
fresh  from  the  seminary  to  the  mission  field  while  still  under 
the  influence  of  these  habits.  Of  course,  earnest  piety  is  in- 
dispensable, but  it  is  not  enough.  Piety  without  utterance  soon 
dies,  zeal  without  speech  burns  itself  out.     Let  the  zealous  who 


IN  Egypt.  423 

have  no  talent  for  languages  and  little  love  for  study  stay  at 
home,  where  there  is  much  appropriate  work  to  do,  and  send  to 
the  foreign  field  the  best  scholars,  the  closest  students,  those 
most  filled  with  the  Spirit ;  then,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  grand 
work  will  be  done  for  Him  who  deserves  our  best  services. 
These  remarks  apply  to  both  male  and  female  workers,  though, 
as  the  latter  are  not  expected,  in  this  country,  to  make  public 
addresses,  it  is  not  necessary  that  they  acquire  such  an  exten- 
sive knowledge  of  the  language  as  the  men. 

New  missionaries  now  have  abundant  opportunity  for  learn- 
ing the  language.  They  have  the  best  aids  in  the  shape  of 
books  and  teachers.  They  have  all  their  time  for  two  years, 
except  two  hours  a  day,  which  are  given  to  teaching  or  doing 
some  other  easy  work  that  will  not  interfere  with  their  study 
of  the  language.  It  is  so  different  from  the  state  of  things  when 
the  older  missionaries  began,  when  neither  grammars,  nor 
voweled  Testaments,  nor  good  teachers  could  be  found,  and 
when,  on  account  of  the  fewness  of  their  number,  they  were 
obliged  to  take  charge  of  accounts,  schools  and  bookshops  al- 
most immediately.  But,  no  matter  what  may  be  the  facilities, 
the  Arabic  language  is  a  hard  nut  to  crack,  and  cannot  be  cracked 
except  by  hard,  stiff  and  persistent  application  during  three, 
four  and  five  years,  according  to  the  measure  of  linguistic  abil- 
ity of  the  missionary. 

The  work  of  the  foreign  missionary  is  largely  educational, 
i.  e.,  instructing  and  training  the  young  for  future  usefulness 
among  their  own  people.  On  this  account  it  is  very  desirable 
that  new  missionaries  have  a  talent  for  teaching,  and  all  the 
better  if  they  have  some  experience  in  it.  All  missionaries  at 
one  time  or  other  in  their  lives  are  called  upon  to  teach,  and 
nearly  all  the  missionaries  on  the  Egyptian  field  at  present  are 
spending  less  or  more  of  their  time  in  teaching.  Some  do  it 
with  evident  pleasure  to  themselves  and  profit  to  their  pupils. 
Next,  after  a  gift  for  languages,  comes  the  gift  for  teaching.  With- 
out pretending  to  give  in  extenso  the  qualifications  of  a  mission- 
ary, I  would  say,  in  addition  to  the  above,  that  to  be  possessed  of 
the  power  of  God's  Spirit,  to  have  an  extensive  knowledge  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  and  to  have  a  good  measure  of  common  sense, 


424  The  American  Mission 

are  indispensable.  While  it  is  very  desirable  that  the  mission- 
ary be  sociable,  agreeable,  a  singer,  patient,  inclined  to  optimism 
rather  than  pessimism,  what  is  needed  is  a  sound  mind  and  a 
sound  body,  both  at  the  service  of  the  indwelling  Spirit. 

I  have  thought  that  my  readers  would  like  to  know  just 
what  the  various  missionaries  on  the  field  at  the  present  time 
are  doing,  so,  beginning  at  Alexandria,  I  will  indicate  each  one's 
work. 

Alexandria.*  Rev.  K.  W.  McFarland,  came  to  Egypt  in 
1892  ;  has  charge  of  the  local  book  department  and  boys'  school, 
in  which  he  gives  some  lessons,  while  he  is  still  studying  the 
language. 

Miss  L.  J.  McDowell,  came  to  Egypt  in  1892 ;  has  charge 
of  two  girls'  schools,  teaches  in  one  of  them  and  has  the  over- 
sight of  the  zenana  work,  while  she  is  still  learning  the  lan- 
guage. 

Miss  A.  McMillen,  came  to  Egypt  in  1893  ;  gives  her  time 
and  strength  to  Arabic,  and  teaches  one  or  two  classes  in  the 
girls'  school. 

Rev.  George  A.  Sowash,  came  to  Egypt  in  1896;  studying 
the  language  and  aiding  in  the  work  as  opportunity  offers. 

Tanta.  Rev.  J.  K.  Giffen,  came  to  Egypt  in  1881  ;  has 
charge  of  the  boys'  school  and  local  book  department ;  teaches 
some,  and  preaches  nearly  every  Sabbath,  either  in  Tanta  or  in 
some  of  the  neighboring  towns,  and  has  charge  of  a  large  dis- 
trict in  which  are  several  schools  and  colporteurs. 

Drs.  Lawrence  and  Watson,  came  to  Egypt  in  1896;  are 
studying  the  language  and  practicing  their  profession  with  much 
success. 

Mojisiirali.  Rev.  T.  J.  Finney,  came  to  Egypt  in  1882  ; 
has  charge  of  the  local  book  department  with  its  depots  and  col- 
porteurs, the  boys'  school,  in  which  he  gives  lessons,  and  has 
supervision  of  a  large  district,  with  its  schools  and  preaching 
stations,  at  one  or  other  of  which  or  in  Monsurah  he  preaches 
every  Sabbath. 

Miss  M.  Finney,  came  to  Egypt  in  1894  ;  is  prosecuting  the 
study  of  Arabic  and  has  charge  of  the  girls'  school,  in  which 
she  spends  some  time  in  teaching. 

*  Rev.  Dr.  Ewing  and  wife  are  at  present  in  America. 


o 
o 


o 


IN  Egypt.  425 

Bertha.  Rev.  Chauncey  Murch,  came  to  Egypt  in  1883  ; 
has  charge  of  all  the  work  at  this  station  and  at  Zakazik  and 
the  district  around  ;  is  general  treasurer  of  the  mission,  and 
preaches  either  in  Benha  or  in  Zakazik. 

Zakazik.  Rev.  W.  H.  Reed,  came  to  Egypt  in  1896;  is 
studying  the  language  and  aiding  in  the  school. 

Cairo.  Rev.  Andrew  Watson,  D.  D.,  came  to  Egypt  in 
1861  ;  is  editor  of  a  small  weekly  paper  in  the  Arabic  language  ; 
gives  two  hours  a  day  to  the  theological  students  during  the 
session  of  the  seminary  ;  takes  his  turn  with  Dr.  Harvey  and 
Rev.  J.  Giffen  in  preaching  in  Arabic  and  conducting  evening 
meetings,  and  takes  his  turn  with  the  brethren  named  and  Dr. 
White  in  preaching  in  English  and  conducting  the  English 
prayer-meetings. 

Rev.  W.  Harvey,  D.  D.,  came  to  Egypt  in  1865  ;  gives  two 
hours  to  the  theological  students  and  the  large  boys  in  school 
every  day ;  is  responsible  for  the  pastoral  work  in  the  Cairo 
congregation  ;  takes  his  turn  in  preaching  in  Arabic  and  in 
English,  and  in  conducting  the  evening  meetings,  and  is  local 
treasurer. 

Rev.  J.  P.  White,  M.  D.,  came  to  Egypt  in  1894  ;  is  study- 
ing the  language  ;  takes  his  turn  in  conducting  all  the  English 
services  ;  teaches  a  class  ;  is  president  of  and  prime  mover  in 
the  Christian  Endeavor  Society  ;  has  the  medical  charge  of  the 
pupils,  and  gives  instruction  in  vocal  music,  and  two  lessons  a 
week  to  the  theological  students. 

Miss  M.  A.  Smith,  came  to  Egypt  in  1872  ;  has  charge  of 
the  girls'  school  in  Haret  es-Sakkain,  which  she  opens  daily, 
and  in  which  she  teaches  two  or  three  hours  every  day  ;  has 
charge  of  the  zenana  work  of  that  part  of  the  city  and  the 
southern  suburbs,  and  makes  occasional  trips  to  the  villages. 

Miss  A.  Y.  Thompson,  came  to  Egypt  in  1871  ;  has  charge 
of  the  work  among  the  women  in  Bulak,  as  well  as  in  the 
Ezbakiyah  quarter  of  the  city. 

Miss  E.  O.  Kyle,  came  to  Egypt  in  1883  ;  has  charge  of 
the  girls'  boarding  and  day  school  in  the  central  mission  prem- 
ises. 


426  The  American  Mission 

Miss  Grace  Brown,  came  to  Egypt  in  1894;  is  studying 
Arabic  and  teaches  in  tiie  boys'  school  in  the  Ezbakiyah,  and 
has  charge  of  the  Bulak  girls'  school 

Asyut.  Rev.  J.  R.  Alexander,  D.  D.,  came  to  Egypt  in 
1875  ;  Rev.  S.  G.  Hart,  in  1892,  and  Miss  Carrie  Buchanan  in 
1893,  and  are  in  charge  of  the  Asyut  training  college,  each 
spending  several  hours  in  teaching  daily.  Mr.  Hart  is  college 
treasurer,  and  Dr.  Alexander  is  president  and  superintendent  of 
the  primary  schools  in  the  upper  country  and  conducts  the 
Arabic  services  in  the  chapel  on  Sabbath  day. 

Rev.  E.  M.  Giffen,  came  to  Egypt  in  1889  ;  has  charge  of 
the  book  department  of  Asyut  and  district ;  is  station  treasurer, 
and  has  charge  of  the  evangelistic  work  up  as  far  as  Belyana. 

Dr.  Henry,  came  to  Egypt  in  1891  ;  has,  of  course,  charge 
of  the  medical  department. 

Miss  J.  J.  Hogg  has  charge  of  the  girls'  boarding  school  and 
zenana  work. 

Miss  Cora  B,  Dickey,  came  to  Egypt  in  1896;  is  studying 
the  Arabic  and  aiding  in  the  school. 

Miss  Dorcas  Teas,  came  to  Egypt  in  1896;  is  in  charge  of 
the  hospital  and  studying  the  language. 

MaghagJia.  Rev.  D.  Strang,  came  to  Egypt  in  1866,  re- 
tired in  1876;  returned  in  1895,  and  has  supervision  of  the 
evangelistic  work  from  Beni-Suef  to  Meir,  and  preaches  every 
Sabbath. 

Luxor.  Rev.  W.  M.  Nichol,  came  to  Egypt  in  1889;  has 
charge  of  the  schools  and  evangelistic  work  from  Farshoot  to 
Aswan. 

Rev.  Ralph  E.  Carson,  came  to  Egypt  in  1895  ;  is  spend- 
ing his  time  at  the  Arabic  language,  and  giving  what  aid  he  can 
without  interfering  with  his  studies. 

Married  Ladies.  The  married  ladies  are  all  doing  some- 
thing in  the  mission  work,  some  in  teaching,  some  in  house  to 
house  visitation,  etc.,  but  no  special  work  is  assigned  to  them 
by  the  Association. 


o 
o 


o 


IN   EGYPT.  427 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  BOOK   DEPARTMENT. 
Its  agents  and  operations— The  Sabbath  Schools — Work  among  the  women. 

The  existence  of  the  Board  of  Publication  in  the  home 
field  proves  that  the  Church  recognizes  it  as  her  duty  to  pro- 
vide a  pure  and  stimulating  supply  of  reading  matter  for  her 
members,  and  to  make  use  of  a  powerful  means  for  the  dissemi- 
nating of  Gospel  truth  throughout  the  land.  It  might  have  been 
thought  that  in  a  country  like  America,  where,  in  consequence 
of  the  general  intelligence  of  the  people,  books  of  all  descrip- 
tions can  be  obtained  in  stock  in  almost  every  small  town,  or 
obtained  from  the  larger  cities  through  book  agents  resident  in 
the  country  villages,  there  would  be  no  necessity  for  the  Church 
to  engage  in  the  publication  and  sale  of  books  on  her  own 
account.  But  it  seems  that  almost  every  denomination  of 
Christians  of  moderate  size  has  regarded  the  diffusion  of  relig- 
ious truths  by  means  of  books  and  periodicals  as  a  part  of  her 
Christian  duty.  The  pastor  has  found  it  in  practice  a  most 
valuable  help  in  developing  and  sustaining  an  interest  in  relig- 
ion and  producing  a  healthy  esprit  de  corps  among  the  members 
of  his  congregation. 

In  a  country  like  Egypt,  in  which,  with  the  exception  of 
Cairo  and  Alexandria,  there  is  not  now,  and  never  has  been  in 
the  past,  outside  of  the  missions,  a  shop  for  the  sale  of  even 
educational  books,  or  a  colporteur  from  whom  to  obtain  a  copy  of 
the  New  Testament  there  is  special  necessity  for  the  creation 
of  some  means  by  which  those  who  can  read  can  be  provided 
with  useful  reading  matter.  Besides,  it  is  an  admitted  fact 
that  the  Gospel  pure  and  simple  can  be  preached  by  means  of 
the  distribution  of  books  almost  as  well,  and  under  many  cir- 


428  The  American  Mission 

cumstances  even  better,  than  by  the  living  voice.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  had  the  press  been  in  existence  in  the  days  of  the 
Apostles,  they  would  have  made  use  of  its  facilities  for  sending 
the  Gospel  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

Our  missionaries  in  Egypt,  from  the  very  beginning,  rec- 
ognized the  value  of  this  means  of  disseminating  divine  truth. 
They  knew  that  a  book  in  the  family  did  not  speak  with  a 
stammering  tongue.  They  know  that  a  book  does  not 
become  heated  by  discussion,  and  say  some  sharp  things 
that  hurt  the  feelings,  rather  than  produce  conviction. 
They  know  that  a  copy  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  vernacular, 
read  by  the  earnest  seeker  after  truth  and  the  serious  inquirer 
for  the  way  of  salvation  from  the  burden  of  his  guilt,  had  often 
been,  and  would  often  be,  the  means  of  bringing  the  reader  to 
the  Saviour ;  and  therefore,  from  the  very  first  year  of  their 
residence  in  Egypt,  and  before  some  of  them  could  put  many 
words  of  Arabic  together  grammatically,  they  sought  for  oppor- 
tunities to  put  the  printed  Word  in  the  hands  of  the  Egyptians, 
until  by  degrees  and  to  an  extent  they  never  dreamed  of,  this 
arm  of  mission  service  developed  and  grew,  sending  streams  of 
blessings,  intellectual,  moral,  religious  and  spiritual,  through 
the  Nile  valley,  away  down  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea,  and 
over  into  the  oases  of  the  great  Sahara. 

Indeed,  during  the  very  first  year  of  Messrs.  Barnett  and 
McCague's  missionary  life  in  Cairo,  950  volumes  of  the  Scriptures 
and  other  religious  books  were  disposed  of  in  Cairo  and  vicinity. 
The  Scriptures  had  been  distributed  before  in  Cairo  and  along  the 
Nile  valley,  but  they  were  given  away  gratis,  and  therefore 
were  not  highly  appreciated.  Dr.  Barnett,  in  his  dairy,  says 
that  they  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  better,  from 
several  points  of  view,  to  offer  the  books  at  a  price,  and  this 
principle  has  been  adhered  to  by  our  mission  all  through  its 
history.  Much  money  has  been  wasted  and  the  value  of  God's 
Word  has  been  lowered  in  the  estimation  of  the  people  by  dis- 
tributing it  gratis.  I  have  found  in  some  houses  three  or  four 
copies  of  the  whole  or  parts  of  the  Bible,  covered  with  dust  in 
a  hole  in  the  wall,  and  never  read  because  they  cost  them  noth- 


IN  Egypt.  429 

ing.  When,  however,  anyone  was  found  anxious  to  get  a 
copy  of  the  Scriptures,  and  was  unable  to  pay  anything  for  it, 
the  missionary  gladly  gave  him  one. 

In  the  year  1856,  there  were  distributed  1,200  volumes  of 
The  Scriptures  and  other  religious  books,  and  1,262  volumes  in 
1857.  Depots  were  opened  in  Cairo  and  in  Alexandria  in  1858, 
and  in  them  were  sold  the  same  year  2,291  volumes.  These 
items,  which  perhaps  have  never  been  collected  before,  I  have 
obtained  from  private  papers  of  Drs.  Barnett,  Lansing  and 
McCague,  kindly  furnished  me. 

From  the  year  i860  commenced  a  system  of  colportage  in 
the  Nile  valley,  directed  by  one  or  other  of  the  missionaries, 
which  was  carried  on  with  marked  success  for  many  years. 
By  this  means  and  the  two  depots,  there  were  sold  in  the  delta 
and  up  as  far  as  Luxor  that  year  4,818  volumes,  most  of  them 
of  a  religious  character,  and  during  1861  as  many  as  4,290;  a 
goodly  number  of  those  were  sold  through  the  efforts  of  Lord 
Aberdeen.  At  that  time  there  were  no  congregations  of  believers 
to  whom  to  minister,  except  in  Cairo  and  Alexandria,  and  there- 
fore the  whole  time  of  the  missionary  on  these  trips  on  the  Nile 
was  taken  up  in  disposing  of  the  books  ;  sometimes  selling  them 
to  purchasers  who  came  to  the  boat,  and  sometimes  on  the 
streets,  and  at  the  Coptic  churches  or  schools  in  the  tov/ns  on 
the  edge  of  the  Nile  ;  sometimes  the  saddlebags  were  filled  and 
a  journey  made  to  villages  at  a  distance  of  an  hour  or  two  from 
the  Nile,  and  the  Gospel  wares  there  offered  for  sale.  Frequent 
discussions  also  were  had  with  the  people  in  their  little  shops, 
or  under  the  trees,  or  in  some  of  the  houses.  Subsequently,  a 
small  boat  was  purchased  by  the  mission,  capable  of  being  run 
by  two  men.  In  this  the  work  of  colportage  was  carried  on, 
sometimes  by  a  missionary,  and  sometimes  by  a  native  agent. 
For  two  or  three  years  a  Mr.  Schlotthaur  was  engaged  for  this 
work,  and  disposed  of  many  books.  There  were,  however, 
many  towns  far  away  from  the  Nile  and  many  smaller  villages 
which  had  never  been  visited,  and  it  became  evident  that  to 
reach  these  some  other  plan  must  be  adopted,  so  the  Nile  col- 
portage was  given  up,  and  a  system  of  book  distribution  by 
means  of  a  number  of  colporteurs  attached  to  each  central  sta- 


430  The  American  Mission 

tion  was  adopted,  which  system   prevails  up  to  the    present 

time. 

The  book  department  then,  as  now,  consists  of  a  central 
storage  depot,  previously  located  at  Alexandria,  under  the  care 
of  Dr.  Ewing,  but  now  in  Cairo,  under  the  direction  of  Rev.  J. 
Giffen.  Besides  this,  there  are  sm.aller  depots  or  sale  rooms 
located  at  Alexandria,  Tanta,  Benha,  Zakazik,  Monsurah,  Cairo, 
Luxor,  Asyut.  At  these  places  supplies  of  Scriptures  and  other 
books  are  kept  and  sold  to  local  purchasers  or  to  colporteurs. 
These  depots  afford  a  place  of  meeting  for  Protestants,  where 
they  hold  intercourse  with  one  another  and  inquire  for  news  of 
friends,  and  a  resort  for  those  who  are  seeking  after  the  truth. 
In  each  one  of  these  there  is  a  native  who  acts  as  salesman  and 
keeps  an  account  of  books  received  and  sold,  reporting  monthly 
to  the  missionary.  Each  colporteur  purchases  his  supplies  at 
these  depots,  and  is  required  to  visit  every  town  and  village  in 
the  bounds  assigned  to  him  a  certain  number  of  times  every 
year.  The  whole  valley  of  Egypt  is  thus  divided  into  districts, 
with  a  depot  in  the  center  of  each,  and  these  districts  subdivided 
between  colporteurs  in  proportion  to  the  density  of  the  popula- 
tion. In  Egypt  at  the  time  of  writing  (1897)  there  are  eight 
shopmen  and  twenty-six  colporteurs.  It  should  be  understood 
that  these  colporteurs  are  members  of  the  Church,  and  generally 
earnest  workers,  and  do  not  limit  their  efforts  to  the  selling  of 
books,  but  are  ever  ready  to  give  a  reason  for  the  faith  that  is 
in  them,  and  to  take  a  part  in  conducting  evening  meetings  and 
discussions  with  opponents. 

Many  places  have  been  opened  by  means  of  colporteurs, 
and  at  the  last  day  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  seen  that  many 
souls  have  been  saved  by  the  books  they  have  distributed,  and 
the  words  of  truth  they  have  spoken,  and  the  Christian  life 
they  have  manifested  in  their  visits  from  place  to  place.  The 
field  covered  by  their  operations  includes  all  the  valley  of  Egypt 
up  as  far  as  Wadi  Haifa,  the  district  of  the  Faiyum,  some  of  the 
oases,  and  one  or  two  trips  were  made  on  the  Red  Sea  coast, 
which  is  now  visited  by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society's 
agents. 

The  two  Bible  societies — the  British  and  Foreign  and  the 
American  have  been  liberal  in  their  grants  in  aid  of  Bible  dis- 


IN  Egypt.  431 

tribution.  In  the  early  history  of  the  mission  the  missionaries 
were  indebted  mostly  to  the  British ;  but  from  the  time  of  the 
Arabic  translation  of  the  Bible  by  the  American  missionaries  in 
Syria,  the  mission  gradually  became  the  agency  through  which 
the  American  Bible  Society  circulated  its  Scriptures  in  the  Nile 
valley.  Generous  help  has  been  rendered  by  it  to  keep  up  the 
colportage,  and  in  some  cases  to  aid  the  shops  or  depots.  The 
missionaries  who  knew  the  late,  but  now  sainted  Dr.  Bliss,  will 
not  soon  forget  his  occasional  visits  to  Egypt  in  behalf  of  the 
American  Bible  Society's  work,  and  often  accompanied  by  his 
wife.  Those  visits  were  looked  forward  to  with  very  great 
pleasure. 

Up  to  the  present  time  we  are  greatly  indebted  also  to  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  for  aid  in  Bible  distribution 
and  in  the  work  among  the  women. 

The  tract  societies  of  London  and  America  have  also,  from 
time  to  time,  bidden  us  God-speed  in  a  practical  way. 

The  Gibson  trust  fund  has  also  afforded  us  the  means  of 
free  distribution  of  the  Bible  where  it  seemed  fitting. 

This  department  entails  a  vast  amount  of  work  upon  some 
of  the  missionaries  in  keeping  up  the  necessary  amount  of 
stock,  and  in  exercising  a  supervision  over  the  books  so  that 
they  may  not  be  soiled,  and  in  controlling  and  directing  the 
salesmen  and  colporteurs,  and  recording  the  various  kinds  and 
numbers  of  books  distributed.  The  missionary  who  has  charge 
of  the  general  storeroom,  where  a  considerable  stock  is  kept, 
has  a  big  work  to  do,  as  all  orders  for  supplying  the  other 
depots  and  some  of  the  colporteurs  are  filled  under  his  super- 
vision, and  volumes  to  the  number  of  more  than  49,000 
annually,  in  perhaps  fifteen  different  languages,  are  brought 
from  various  countries  and  societies,  kept  in  stock,  and  put  in 
circulation.  A  missionary  at  each  central  station  also  directs 
and  superintends  the  work  of  the  shop  and  the  colporteurs 
there,  taking  an  account  of  sales  every  month  and  an  inventory 
of  books  remaining  unsold  at  the  end  of  the  year — all  of  which 
is  reported  to  the  association  annually. 

The  books  sold  are  classified  under  three  heads  :  Scrip- 
tures,   Religious   Books   and    Educational.      Some    stationery 


43- 


The  American  Mission 


is  also  kept  for  sale.  The  number  of  volumes  of  the  Scriptures, 
or  parts  thereof,  distributed  through  the  mission  from  November 
20,  1854,  to  November  30,  1896,  was  248,386,  and  the  pro- 
ceeds were  ^53,820.  The  number  of  volumes  of  religious 
books  was  192,794,  at  ^29,085.  The  number  of  educational 
and  miscellaneous  books  374,358,  at  $84,800.  The  total  num- 
ber of  volumes  of  all  kinds  and  their  price:  815,548  at  $167,- 
705.  God  alone  knows  what  good  has  been  done  to  Egypt  in 
general  and  to  individual  souls  in  particular,  through  these 
volumes  sown  broadcast  in  the  Nile  valley.  We  sow  in 
faith  and  leave  the  result  to  Him  whose  is  the  prerogative  to 
give  the  increase. 


STATISTICS  OF  BOOK  DEPARTMENT  FROM  THE  BEGINNING  TO 
DECEMBER    31,    1 896. 
THE  SCRIPTURES.         RELIGIOUS  BOOKS.    ED.  &  MISC.  BOOKS. 


YEAR. 

VOLS. 

DOLLARS 

VOLS. 

DOLLARS 

VOLS. 

DOLLARS 

1855 
1856 
r857 
1858 

250 

300 

240 

1,191 

50 

62 

48 

221 

700 

900 

1,022 

1,100 

50 
120 
120 
135 

55—58 

1,981 

381 

2,722 

425 

i860 
1861 
1862 
1863 
1864 

3,472 
2,500 

1,879 
3,022 
3,800 

681 

775 
501 
752 
821 

996 
1,280 
2,722 
2,275 
3,120 

198 
411 
490 
550 
680 

350 
510 
845 
495 
1,234 

153 
540 
17,2 
162 
673 

60 — 64 

14,673 

3,530 

10,393 

2,329 

3,434 

1,700 

1865 
1866 
1867 
1868 
1869 

1,868 
1,000 
1,756 
2,107 
3,000 

729 
225 
403 

499 
600 

1,524 
500 
777 
960 

2,000 

200 
100 
132 
200 
200 

1,507 
519 
498 
589 

1,446 

674 

95 
140 

133 
225 

1 
65—69 

1 

9.731 

2,456 

5.761 

832 

4,559 

I. ,267 

IN  Egypt.  433 

THE  SCRIPTURES.         RELIGIOUS  BOOKS.    ED.  &  MISC.  BOOKS. 


YEAR. 

VOLS. 

DOLLARS 

VOLS. 

DOLLARS 

VOLS. 

DOLLARS 

1870 

2,176 

429 

2,106 

268 

1,224 

341 

1 871 

1,765 

580 

2,697 

426 

1,566 

479 

1872 

1,830 

568 

2,420 

406 

1,320 

379 

1873 

2,452 

808 

4,347 

647 

2,254 

606 

1874 

3,115 

979 

4,705 

606 

1,306 

650 

70—74 

11,338 

3,364 

16,275 

2,353 

7,670 

2,455 

1875 

2,858 

817 

5,380 

895 

3,652 

1,256 

1876 

2,574 

661 

4,957 

831 

4,057 

1,272 

1877 

3,9" 

1,115 

4,771 

681 

5,003 

1,476 

1878 

5,138 

1,499 

7,552 

985 

6,471 

1,631 

1879 

6,117 

1,692 

4,838 

605 

8,918 

2,362 

75—79 

20,598 

5,784 

27,498 

3,997 

28,101 

7,997 

1880 

7,337 

1,898 

5,5" 

968 

11,686 

2,675 

1881 

8,288 

2,291 

6,004 

1,028 

12,858 

2,924 

1882 

7,526 

1,800 

5,244 

694 

12,638 

2,780 

1883 

7,622 

1,938 

6,168 

746 

16,953 

4,295 

1884 

10,659 

2,597 

7,811 

1,256 

19,145 

4,533 

80—84 

41,432 

10,524 

30,738 

4,692 

73,280 

17,207 

1885 

9,962 

2,577 

8,866 

1,107 

19,324 

4,687 

1886 

9,651 

2,552 

8,993 

1,149 

19,179 

4,406 

1887 

10,269 

2,496 

6,929 

955 

16,411 

3,979 

1888 

11,773 

2,371 

7,764 

1,217 

16,054 

3,604 

1889 

10,184 

1,859 

6,231 

851 

14,652 

3,233 

85—89 

51,839 

11,855 

38,803 

5,279 

85,620 

19,909 

1890 

12,123 

2,175 

5,948 

875 

14,705 

3,322 

1891 

13,281 

2,371 

5,427 

1,088 

18,118 

4,104 

1892 

12,747 

2,116 

6,482 

972 

19,226 

4,120 

1893 

14,309 

2,287 

6,169 

1,110 

21,679 

4,013 

1894 

13,845 

2,324 

9,823 

1,747 

25,729 

4,610 

1895 

14,079 

2,274 

14,141 

1,825 

33,917 

6,906 

1896 

16,410 

2,369 

10,614 

1,561 

38,320 

7,190 

90—96 

96,794 

15,926 

60,604 

9,178 

171,694 

34,265 

434  The  American  Mission 

THE  SCRIPTURES.         RELIGIOUS  BOOKS.    ED.  &  MISC.  BOOKS. 


YEAR. 

VOLS. 

DOLLARS 

VOLS. 

DOLLARS 

VOLS. 

DOLLARS 

55—59 

1,981 

381 

2,722 

425 

60—64 

14,673 

3,530 

10,393 

2,329 

3,434 

1,700 

65—69 

9,731 

2,456 

5,761 

832 

4,559 

1,267 

70—74 

11,338 

3.364 

16,275 

2,353 

7,670 

2,455 

75—79 

20,598 

5,784 

27,498 

3,997 

28,101 

7,997 

80—84 

41,432 

10,524 

30,738 

4,692 

73,280 

17,207 

85—89 

51,839 

11,855 

32,803 

5,279 

85,620 

19,909 

90—94 

66,305 

11,283 

35,849 

5,792 

99,457 

20,169 

95—96 

30,489 

4,643 

24,755 

3,386 

72,237 

14,096 

Grand  To'l 

248,386 

53,820 

192,794 

29,085 

374,358 

84,800 

815,548  volumes  at  ^167,705. 

SABBATH   SCHOOLS. 

It  is  evident,  from  a  review  of  the  reports,  that  the  mis- 
sionaries in  Egypt  from  the  time  they  were  able  to  use  the  lan- 
guage with  any  degree  of  profit  to  others,  established  Sabbath 
schools  wherever  they  were  located.  When  the  writer  reached-- 
Alexandria,  late  in  1861,  he  found  a  flourishing  Sabbath  school 
there,  the  girls  being  superintended  by  Miss  Dales  and  the  boys 
by  Rev.  John  Hogg.  At  the  close  of  the  class  exercises,  Mr. 
Hogg  made  a  brief  address  to  the  girls  and  boys  assembled  to- 
gether. The  same  thing  could  be  said  of  Cairo,  I  suppose, 
although  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  reference  to  Sabbath 
schools  there  until  late  in  1861,  when  it  was  reported  one  was 
formed  for  the  girls.  Almost  as  sc-on  as  Asyut  was  occupied  as 
a  station,  Sabbath  schools  for  boys,  girls  and  adults  were 
established.  The  customs  of  the  country  then,  as  now,  did  not 
allow  girls  and  boys  in  the  same  class,  but  they  occupied  dif- 
ferent sides  of  the  same  room  at  the  opening  and  closing 
exercises.  As  soon  as  work  at  any  new  station  was  begun  by 
a  missionary,  the  Sabbath  school  was  among  the  first  institu- 
tions to  be  established.  But,  outside  the  central  stations,  little 
was  done  in  this  line  for  many  years.  As  pastorates  were 
formed,  however,  and  as  young  men  trained  in  the  college  at 
Asyut  and  the  theological  seminary  entered    upon  the  work, 


IN  Egypt.  435 

something  more  was  accomplished  on   Sabbath   school  lines. 
Few,  however,  of  our  young  men,  or  of  our  native  pastors,  have 
shown   special   aptitude  for   this   branch   of  Christian   work, 
though  I  believe  at  the  present  time  every  congregation  with  a 
native  pastor,  and  many  other  organized  and  unorganized  con- 
gregations,  have  their  Sabbath  school.      In  not  a  few  cases, 
however,  there  are  but  two,  or  at  most  four  classes— if  two' 
one  will  be  for  males  and  the  other  for  females ;  if  four,  one 
will  be  for  girls,  another  for  women,  another  for  boys,  and  the 
fourth  for  men.     There  is  great  difficulty  in  finding  teachers 
who  can  keep  up  the  interest  of   the   pupils   in   the   lesson. 
There  are  many  who,  perhaps,  can  deliver  a  discourse  full  of 
Gospel  truth,  but  one  who  can  teach  in  a  simple,  familiar,  and 
interesting  manner,  illustrating  Christian  teaching  by  the  affairs 
of  everyday  life,  is  a  thing  rarely  found.     In  1880,  when  the 
presbyters  took  up  in  earnest  the  question  of  improving  and 
developing  the  Sabbath  schools  in  Egypt,  there  were  forty-two 
Sabbath  schools,  130  teachers,  and  1,494  pupils,  of  whom  706 
were  adults  and  788  were  children.     More  than  half  of  these 
schools  were  nothing  more  than  the  meeting  for  afternoon  ser- 
vices, at   which,  in  most  cases,  the  passage  for  the  Sabbath 
school  lesson  for  each  day  was  taken  as  a  text  for  the  discourse 
In  1881  the  scholars  increased  to   1,574,  with  about  the  same 
proportion  of   adults.      Lesson  helps  had   been   prepared   by 
Messrs.  Giffen  and  Hogg,  and  distributed  week  by  week      In 
1882  the   schools  numbered  forty-six,   and  the  pupils   1,634 
The   contributions  had  increased  from  $7,g  to   $7^.     In  '1885 
there  were  sixty-two  schools  and  2,649  pupils.     The  Sabbath 
school   collections   also   increased  that  year,    as  they  reached 
^107.    From  that  time  until  the  end  of  1896  there  was  a  steady 
growth  in  the  number  and  efficiency  of  the  schools. 

The  statistics  for  1896  were:  Number  of  schools  1^7  • 
number  of  pupils,  6,849  ;  number  of  teachers,  300  •  lesson 
papersdistributed  weekly,  4,000;  contributions,  $k,^i. 

ZENANA  WORK. 

In  nothing  is  there  a  greater  difference  between  the  United 
States  of  America  and  Egypt  than  in  the  moral,  intellectual  and 


436  The  American  Mission 

social  status  of  women.  The  greatness  of  this  difference,  too, 
is  not  ascertained  by  a  flying  visit,  nor  even  by  a  temporary 
residence  in  the  Nile  valley;  but  it  is  revealed  more  and  more 
as  one's  residence  is  prolonged,  and  the  more  extensive  and 
exact  his  knowledge  of  the  situation  becomes.  The  intelligence, 
the  patience,  the  culture,  the  self-denial  of  the  western  women, 
have  their  exact  contrast  in  the  ignorance,  the  superstition,  the 
irritability,  the  boorishness  and  the  selfishness  of  the  Egyptian 
women.     I  am  speaking  in  general  of  both  sides. 

In  the  West,  woman  is  honored ;  in  Egypt,  she  is  de- 
spised. If  a  man  should  find  it  necessary  to  refer  to  his  wife, 
he  v/ill  seldom  say  "  My  wife,"  or  call  her  by  her  name,  Mariam, 
or  whatever  it  may  be,  but  will  say  "the  family,"  or  "the  com- 
pany," and  if  he  should  say,  "My  wife,"  he  will  likely  add, 
"  May  God  preserve  thee  from  dishonor."  Indeed,  it  is  quite 
the  general  opinion  in  Egypt  that  a  woman  has  a  lower  nature 
than  a  man,  and  I  have  often  heard  the  expression  from  men  of 
intelligence  and  position,  "  The  waman  race  is  all  bad  ;  none  of 
them  can  be  trusted."  The  men  treat  them  generally  as  they 
do  menials,  or  those  who  are  on  a  lower  plane  of  existence,  and 
as  if  they  were  created  only  for  man's  comfort  and  ease.  There 
is  little  difference  in  this  respect  in  Egypt  between  Muslims  and 
so-called  Christians.  The  native  Egyptian  Christians,  such  as 
the  Copts  and  Catholics,  seem  to  have  adopted  in  their  homes 
many  of  the  social  habits  of  the  Muhammadans,  and  become 
thoroughly  filled  with  Muhammadan  ideas  of  woman's  inferiority, 
and  woman's  special  depravity.  Again  and  again,  in  urging  the 
men  to  teach  their  women,  they  have  replied,  "They  cannot 
learn  ;  they  are  donkeys."  Wherever  the  work  of  the  mission 
has  not  reached — and  that,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  embraces  by  far 
the  greater  part  of  the  people — the  women  are  utterly  ignorant 
and  groping  under  a  dark  cloud  of  superstitions  which  affect 
their  souls,  their  bodies,  their  marital,  family  and  social  rela- 
tions, and  at  first  seem-  to  shut  every  avenue  of  light.  Begin 
to  touch  their  cleanliness,  or  order,  or  hygiene,  or  morals,  or 
religion,  and  you  discover  that  your  efforts  are  rendered  null 
and  void  by  numerous  superstitions  accepted  on  the  authority 
of  saints  and  departed  ancestors.     They  have  no  opportunity  to 


\- 


IN  EGYPT.  437 

learn.  Not  more  than  two  or  three  in  a  thousand  in  the  present 
generation  ever  were  in  a  school,  and  practically  almost  none 
in  the  past  generation.  They  never  sit  in  the  same  room  with 
the  men  when  strangers  are  present,  and  very  seldom  eat  with 
their  husbands  or  brothers  even  when  strangers  are  absent. 
What  the  men  leave  after  being  satisfied  is  sent  to  the  women 
and  servants.  Except  among  the  Protestants,  even  the  church 
services,  for  the  most  part,  to  the  women  are  in  an  unknown 
tongue,  and  although  the  Coptic  women  often  attend  the  Coptic 
services,  yet  there  is  no  profit,  because  the  services  are  not 
profitable,  and  because  the  women  occupy  a  place  so  distant 
that  they  cannot  hear.  Muhammadan  women  are  still  worse 
off  than  the  so-called  Christians. 

Indeed,  the  condition  of  women  in  the  Nile  valley  is  sad  in 
the  extreme.  And  what  makes  the  case  worse  is  the  fact  that 
most  Egyptian  men  take  no  interest  in  educating  or  elevatijig  the 
women.  Many  of  our  educated  young  men  prefer  an  unedu- 
cated girl  for  a  wife,  because  they  think  she  will  be  more  sub- 
servient to  their  wishes.  They  do  not  yet  regard  the  woman  as 
equal  before  the  law  or  before  God.  Few  have  any  idea  of  a 
marital  union  for  life  with  an  intelligent,  devoted,  pious,  un- 
selfish, noble  woman,  on  a  plane  of  social  equality,  mutual  du- 
ties being  performed  (without  outward  constraint)  from  a 
mutual  affection  and  interest.  The  idea  of  superiority  on  the 
part  of  the  man,  and  the  impropriety  of  doing  anything  that 
might,  in  the  estimation  of  the  public,  be  regarded  as  conflicting 
with  that  idea,  influence  the  conduct  of  the  men  in  all  classes  of 
society.  The  Khedive  never  goes  from  Cairo  to  Alexandria,  or 
vice  versa,  on  the  same  train  with  the  Khediviah.  Other  men, 
though  they  may  go  in  the  same  train  with  their  v/ives,  yet  do 
not  generally  ride  in  the  same  compartment.  When  a  man 
walks  from  one  place  to  another  in  the  city  with  his  wife,  he 
marches  on  ahead  of  her,  and  she  follows  at  a  distance  of  a  few 
yards.  In  the  country  you  may  see  any  day  the  woman  car- 
rying the  burden  on  her  head,  while  the  man  walks  lazily  on 
before  ;  or  the  lord  of  creation  rides  on  a  donkey,  while  his  wife 
tries  to  keep  up  with  him  by  walking,  but  every  few  minutes  is 
compelled  to  break  into  a  run.     It  is  true  the  man  mav  resent 


438  The  American  Mission 

the  slightest  insult,  by  act,  word,  or  gesture,  done  to  his  wife, 
but  it  is  not  because  she  is  highly  esteemed  by  him,  nor  because 
she  is  a  human  being  with  equal  rights  with  the  man,  but  because 
she  is  his  wife  and  the  mother  of  his  children,  and  his  silence 
would  be  a  reflection  on  his  character  as  a  man. 

It  was  some  time  before  the  missionaries  fully  realized  the 
condition  of  the  women  in  Egypt.  They  at  once  saw  enough 
to  elicit  their  sympathy,  and  to  create  a  desire  to  do  something 
for  them.  They  did  not,  however,  see  the  necessity  for  special 
work,  or  perhaps  did  not  see  what  means  could  be  used  to  meet 
the  case.  I  think,  for  a  time,  they  did  not  know  that  the  great 
majority  of  the  women  could  profit  but  little  from  a  sermon 
preached  by  a  missionary,  or  even  by  a  native.  Their  vocab- 
ulary of  words  is  not  sufficiently  extensive  to  enable  them  to 
understand,  and  they  had  never  been  trained  to  listen  to  con- 
nected discourses,  such  as  the  women  of  the  West  can  compre- 
hend. It  was,  of  course,  seen  that  the  girls  should  be  taught 
and  schools  should  be  established  for  them,  but  to  reach  the 
women  and  instruct  them  and  lift  them  up,  seemed  a  hopeless 
task,  especially  when  the  husbands  and  brothers  cared  nothing 
for  such  work.  Of  course,  pastoral  visits  were  made  to  the 
houses  of  the  church  members,  and  the  ladies  of  the  mission 
kept  up  social  connection  with  all  nati\'e  acquaintances  among 
the  women,  and  in  a  general  way  influenced  them  along  the 
lines  of  religion  and  civilization  ;  but  any  systematized  attempt 
to  teach  the  women  in  their  homes  was  not  made  in  our  mission 
until  the  year  1869. 

Before  that  time  the  ladies  of  the  mission  in  Asyut,  Cairo, 
Faiyum  and  Alexandria  had,  either  themselves  or  through 
others,  done  something  to  encourage  some  of  the  women  to  learn, 
and  to  read  the  Scriptures.  Regular  prayer-meetings  for  women, 
held  during  the  day,  were  commenced  in  the  Ezbaki)'ah,  Cairo, 
by  Mrs.  Lansing  in  1866,  and  in  Haretes-Sakkain  by  Miss  Hart 
in  1867,  and  four  weekly  prayer-meetings  for  women  in  different 
parts  of  Cairo  were  established  in  1868.  The  presbytery  of 
Egypt  in  1868  took  up  in  a  systematic  way  the  work  among  the 
women,  by  the  following  resolution  :  "  That  Miss  Gregory  be 
sent  to  Asyut  to  act  in  the  capacity  of  a  Bible  woman  until  the 


IN  Egypt. 


439 


next  meeting  of  presbytery."  She  entered  upon  her  work 
with  her  natural  energy,  and  reported  to  presbytery  that,  from 
September  28,  1869,  to  March  4,  1870,  she  had  made  402  visits 
and  given  860  lessons.  Thirty-six  women  were  her  pupils,  and 
four  of  them  had  made  special  preparation  and  taken  great  in- 
terest in  the  Bible.  They  made  the  same  year  a  public  profes- 
sion of  their  acceptance  of  Jesus  Christ  as  their  Saxiour,  and 
were  admitted  to  the  fellowship  of  the  Church.  The  next  refer- 
ence to  this  subject  I  find  in  the  report  for  1870,  where  it  is  said 
that  a  native  had  been  employed  in  Alexandria  for  the  Bible 
work  among  the  women,  and  that  she  was  supported  by  money 
sent  from  America  for  that  purpose.  In  the  same  year  this 
work  was  carried  on  more  or  less  at  all  the  central  stations.  At 
Asyut,  under  the  superintendence  of  MissMcKown,  twenty-two 
visits  of  one  hour  each  had  been  made  every  week,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  teaching  the  women  to  read,  or  of  reading  to  them  from 
the  Scriptures  and  explaining  to  them  the  Word  of  God. 

In  1 87 1,  three  women  were  taught  in  this  department  in 
Cairo,  under  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Lansing  and  Miss  Johnson. 
One  of  them  was  blind  Warda.  In  Sinoris,  some  of  the  boys 
from  the  school  were  requisitioned  for  this  purpose  ;  and  in 
Asyut,  Malika,  the  wife  of  a  colporteur,  and  others,  had  about 
forty  w^omen  to  whom  they  gave  instruction. 

In  1872,  Mrs.  Watson  and  Miss  Thompson  spent  consider- 
able time  in  visiting  and  teaching  the  women  in  Monsurah. 
Three  native  women  were  employed  in  this  work  in  Cairo  in 
1872,  and  sixty-five  women  were  under  instruction.  In  this 
year  Mrs.  Harvey  reported  nineteen  women,  church  members 
in  Sinoris  who  had  learned  to  read  ;  twenty  were  taking  lessons 
in  their  homes,  and  twenty-three  were  able  to  read  the  Bible. 

In  1873  fciur  women  received  instruction  regularly  in  Mon- 
surah from  Miss  Thompson,  besides  the  Bible  class  for  those 
who  attended  the  services  on  Sabbath.  In  writing  about  the 
same  work  in  Sinoris  to  which  she  had  been  transferred,  she 
says  that  twelve  women  were  enrolled  as  scholars,  and  a  boy 
gave  lessons- to  several  others  in  their  homes.  In  Cairo,  the 
same  year,  the  work  was  extended.  In  Asyut  eighty-eight 
women  were  learning.  Some  of  whom  had  read  the  whole  of 
the  New  Testament  and  were  beginning  the  Old. 


f 


First  Graduates  from  Cairo  Boarding  School. 


IN  EGYPT.  441 

ing,  or  she  may  be  away  at  a  funeral  or  a  marriage,  and  thus 
time  and  again  misses  her  lesson.  The  pupils  take  no  trouble 
to  let  the  teacher  know  when  they  are  likely  to  be  engaged,  and 
thus  much  time  is  lost  and  the  teacher  discouraged.  Then, 
again,  some  of  the  pupils  have  no  aptitude  for  learning,  and 
they  seem  to  forget  to-day  what  they  learned  yesterday,  or 
they  do  not  have  interest  enough  or  leisure  enough  to  read  alone 
between  the  visits  of  the  teacher.  In  the  case  of  some  of  them 
we  are  not  surprised  that  they  do  not  advance  more  rapidly, 
for  they  have  little  encouragement  from  their  husbands,  or  the 
men  of  the  house,  and  their  household  duties  are  heavy.  I  am 
surprised  that  so  many  succeed.  I  cannot  say,  however,  that 
many  women  come  to  have  a  love  for  reading,  indeed,  I  think 
it  is  only  a  small  proportion  of  the  girls  who  learn  at  school 
who  take  interest  enough  in  reading  in  their  own  homes  so  as 
to  use  it  afterwards  in  acquiring  knowledge.  All  classes  are 
reached  by  this  mission  service,  but  more  especially  the  middle 
classes.  The  greater  number  belong  to  the  Christian  sects. 
There  are,  however,  a  few  Muhammadans.  The  increase  in 
the  number  of  females  who  have  been  added  to  the  membership 
of  the  Church  during  the  past  years,  in  proportion  to  the 
males,  is,  I  think,  in  consequence  of  more  attention  being  paid 
to  this  department,  though  it  would  be  very  illogical  to  attribute 
their  conversion  entirely,  or  even  in  the  largest  measure  to 
this  work,  because  the  women  attend  as  well  as  the  men  the 
general  meetings  in  the  congregations  to  which  they  belong 
and  are  as  much  a  part  of  the  pastorate  and  congregation  as 
the  males.  To  connect  the  whole  female  membership  with 
zenana  work,  as  is  sometimes  done,  is  very  misleading. 

It  is  particularly  pleasing  to  find  some  of  the  pastors,  per- 
haps most  of  them,  taking  a  great  interest  in  the  religious 
advancem.ent  and  spiritual  growth  of  the  women,  encouraging 
them  to  learn  to  read  the  Bible,  and  holding  special  meetings  for 
them,  where  the  Gospel  is  taught  in  a  more  simple  manner  than 
in  pulpit  discourse.  Though  the  improvement  is  slow,  yet  no 
one  can  deny  that  decided  progress  has  been  made  in  many 
places  in  the  intellectual,  moral  and  religious  condition  of  some 
Egyptian  women.  With  a  steady  multiplication  of  the  means, 
the  progress  will,  we  trust,  be  much  greater  in  the  future. 


442  The  aa\erican  Mission 


CHAPTER  >XXVttt.  2CS3ar 
EDUCATION. 

Parochial  schools— Mission  day  schools— Boarding  school  at  Asyut  and  Cairo 
— Asyut  training  college  —Theological  seminary. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

This  department  of  our  mission  work  has  been  an  important 
one  during  the  forty-two  years  of  its  existence  up  to  the  end  of 
1896.  The  first  school  for  boys  in  connection  with  our  mission 
was  opened  in  Cairo  by  Rev.  Messrs.  Barnett  and  McCague  in 
the  year  1855,  on  November  29,  with  Mr.  Awad  Hanna  as 
teacher,  and  one  for  girls  in  i860  by  Mrs.  McCague.  The  mis- 
sion, as  we  have  seen,  fell  heir  to  the  boys'  school  in  Alexan- 
dria opened  by  Mr.  John  Hogg,  December  15,  1856,  and  to  the 
girls'  school  opened  there,  under  the  direction  of  Miss  Pringle, 
in  December  of  the  same  year.  These  schools  have  been  con- 
tinued up  to  the  present  time,  and  wherever  missionaries 
occupied  new  central  stations  they  have  almost  uniformly 
opened  a  school  for  boys  and  another  for  girls.  For  some  time 
the  mission  opened  schools  for  boys  at  out  stations  also,  and 
still  continues  to  do  so  in  some  places  in  the  delta.  All  such 
schools,  whether  at  central  stations  or  otherwise,  are  under  the 
direct  control  of  the  mission.  A  large  number  of  schools,  how- 
ever, are  now  opened  by  the  people  themselves,  with  little  and 
often  no  assistance  from  the  mission.  The  people  alone  are 
responsible  for  them.  The  teachers,  however,  have  been  trained 
by  the  mission,  and  generally  use  the  mission's  books,  and  fol- 
low in  their  teaching  the  lines  of  instruction  in  the  mission 
schools.  In  the  year  1896  the  schools  of  all  kinds,  either  directly 
or    indirectly  connected   with  the   mission,   numbered    168,  of 


<: 


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'o 
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IN  EGYPT.  443 

which  133  were  for  boys,  and  35  for  girls.  The  pupils  were 
11,014,  of  whom  7,976  were  boys  and  3,038  were  girls. 
These  schools  are  of  five  classes,  viz.:  (i)  Out-station  schools  ; 
(2)  mission  schools;  (3)  boarding  schools;  (4)  training  co\- 
lege  ;  (5)  theological  seminary. 

(i)  The  schools  at  the  out-stations  are  for  the  most  part 
under  the  sole  control  of  the  native  congregations.  They  are 
then  strictly  parochial  schools,  for  the  primary  education  of  the 
children,  and  take  the  place  of  the  common  schools  under  the 
governmental  system  at  home.  Being  parochial  schools  under 
Protestant  direction,  the  Protestant  religion  is  taught  in  them, 
and  the  Bible  is  used  as  a  text-book.  Often  the  teacher  is  a 
church  member,  and  assists  in  conducting  religious  meetings 
during  the  evenings  and  on  Sabbath  days.  In  this  sense  these 
schools  are  centers  of  evangelistic  effort,  and  sources  of  Chris- 
tian light  to  young  and  old.  Some  of  them,  however,  have  been 
opened  and  are  carried  on  directly  by  the  mission.  The  reason 
for  this  is  to  be  found  in  the  circumstances  of  the  places. 
Either  because  the  Coptic  clergy  had  so  thoroughly  closed  the 
place  against  the  entrance  of  the  truth,  or  because  the  inhab- 
itants were  all  Muhammadans  and  no  other  means  of  approach- 
ing them  was  possible.  The  missionaries  resorted  to  the  use  of 
the  school  as  a  key  by  which  to  open  the  door,  or  as  a  means  of 
bringing  them  in  contact  with  the  people,  and  giving  them  an 
opportunity  of  conversing  with  them,  or  putting  into  their  hands 
Christian  literature.  In  many  places  in  the  delta  at  the  present 
time,  as  in  many  places  in  the  upper  country  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  mission,  the  schools  seem  to  be  the  only  means  by 
which  the  missionary  can  get  an  entrance  into  the  town.  As 
soon  as  an  entrance  is  effected  and  a  little  community  of  Pro- 
testants is  formed,  then  the  school  is  gradually  passed  over  to 
the  natives  or  dropped  entirely.  Unless  the  chief  teacher  be  a 
thoroughly  Christian  man,  such  schools  are  of  little  use,  and 
their  continuance  a  waste  of  mission  money.  * 

(2)  The  day  schools  at  the  central  stations  are  generally 
of  a  higher  grade  than  those  at  the  out-stations.     They  are 

*  Great  credit  is  due  the  house  of  Mr.  Wesa  Buktor  and  the  Messrs.  Khazat 
Bros,  for  the  erection  of  school  premises  in  Asyut  and  carrying  on,  at  their  own 
expense,  the  one  a  large  school  for  boys,  the  other  a  large  school  for  gitls. 


444  The  American  Mission 

thoroughly  evangelical;  the  missionaries  not  only  having  the 
oversight,  but  also  giving  instruction  in  religion  every  day,  and 
endeavor  to  secure  the  attendance  ot  the  pupils  at  the  Sabbath 
school  and  at  other  religious  services  on  the  Lord's  day.  By 
means  of  these  the  missionaries  find  access  to  the  homes  of  the 
people,  and  meet  with  the  parents  and  other  relatives  of  the 
pupils,  and  the  acquaintance  thus  formed  often  leads  to  their 
attending  the  religious  meetings,"and  to  their  enlightenment,  and 
sometimes  to  their  conversion,  while  the  children  who  remain 
in  school  for  a  year  or  two  continue  friendly  with  the 
missionaries  during  life,  and  many  of  them  are  lifted  up  a 
degree  or  two  in  the  line  of  civilization,  and  som.e,  by 
the  blessing  of  God  on  the  truth  they  learn,  make  a  public 
profession  of  faith  in  and  love  for  the  Saviour.  These 
mission  schools  at  the  central  stations  have  had  a  great  influ- 
ence in  creating  an  interest  in  education  and  diffusing  useful 
knowledge  in  the  community  and  giving  an  impetus  to  the 
cause  of  civilization  in  the  Nile  valley.  Until  within  fifteen 
years  a  large  proportion  of  the  employes  in  the  railways,  in  the 
telegraphs  and  government  offices  received  their  education  at 
the  American  schools.  The  development  of  the  government 
educational  system  has  made  its  schools  now  the  chief  source 
of  supply  for  these  services. 

A  history  of  these  schools  in  detail,  and  the  good  work 
done  in  them,  would  require  a  volume.  Nearly  all  the  mission- 
aries, male  and  female,  have  had  some  share  in  the  work,  and 
some  have  for  years  taught  classes  in  them.  The  boys'  school 
in  Alexandria  has  been  successively  under  the  direction  and 
instruction  of  Messrs.  Hogg,  Watson,  Pinkerton,  Strang,  Ewing, 
and  Harvey.  The  girls'  school  there  under  Misses  Dales, 
McKown,  Gregory,  Campbell,  Frazier,  1.  Strang,  and  T.  Strang. 
The  boys'  school  in  Monsurah,  under  the  management  of 
Messrs.  Watson,  A.  M.  Nichol,  Finney,  Kruidenier,  and  Murch. 
The  girls'  school  under  Mrs.  Watson,  Mrs.  Nichol,  and  Misses 
Gregory,  Thompson,  and  the  two  Misses  Strang.  The  boys' 
school  in  Cairo,  always  large,  has  been  under  the  direction  of 
Messrs.  Barnett,  McCague,  Lansing,  Hogg,  Strang,  Watson, 
Harvey,    Giffen  ;    the   girls'    school  in   the  Ezbakiyah   under 


IN  Egypt. 


445 


Misses  Hart,  Dales,  Johnston,  Thompson,  Brown,  and  Kyle  ; 
the  girls'  School  in  Haret  es-Sakkain  under  Mrs.  McCague, 
Misses  Hart,  and  Smith ;  the  girls'  school  in  Kulaly  under  Miss 
Conner  and  Miss  Thompson  and  now  Miss  Brown  ;  the  boys' 
school  in  Asyut  under  Dr.  Hogg  and  Dr.  Johnston,  then  devel- 
oped into  an  academy.  The  second  day  school  for  girls  was 
for  a  time  under  the  care  of  Mrs.  Giffen  and  Miss  Lockhart, 
and  is  now  known  as  the  Khayat  school  for  girls. 

(3)  The  boarding  schools  for  girls  supply  a  need  which 
was  greatly  felt  for  many  years.  These  schools,  only  two  in 
number,  one  in  Cairo  and  the  other  in  Asyut,  are  in  some 
sense  the  outgrowth  of  the  mission  girls'  day  schools  at  these 
places.  In  December,  1865,  presbytery  took  the  following 
action  in  regard  to  Cairo  : 

"Resolved,  i.  That  the  girls'  school  at  present  held  in 
the  mission  house  be  removed  to  the  Coptic  quarter. 

"  2.  That  a  boarding  school  be  established  in  the  mission 
house. 

"3.  That  Miss  Dales  have  the  superintendence  of  the 
two  schools." 

In  accordance  with  this  action  a  boarding  school  was 
opened  in  1866,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  there  were  in  it 
seven  girls;  during  1867  these  increased  to  nine,  but  at  the  end 
of  the  year  there  were  only  six.  The  school  was  dropped, 
however,  after  the  second  year  of  its  existence,  chiefly,  I  sup- 
pose, on  account  of  the  marriage  of  Miss  Dales  and  Dr.  Lan- 
sing and  their  forced  absence  from  their  field  of  labor  soon 
after  from  ill  health.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Association  in 
1874  it  was  resolved  :  "  That  we  authorize  the  opening  of  a 
boarding  school  for  girls  in  Asyut  as  soon  as  suitable  premises 
be  obtained."  In  accordance  with  this  action  the  school  was 
opened  on  February  23,  1874.  At  the  summer  meeting  of  the 
Association  the  same  year  it  was  resolved  that  Miss  Johnston 
and  Miss  Smith  be  directed  to  open  in  Cairo  a  boarding  school 
for  girls  as  soon  as  practicable,  and  arrange  between  themselves 
the  details  of  management.  This  action  was  carried  out  by  the 
opening  of  the  school  in  the  Faggala  quarter  of  Cairo  on  Octo- 
ber I,  1874.  Vari(nis  reasons  influenced  the  missionaries  to 
establish  the  boarding  schools  for  girls,  viz.:  i.  The  impossibility 


446  The  American  Mission 

of  opening  day  schools  for  girls  in  the  villages,  or  even  in  the 
large  towns,  on  account  of  the  paucity  of  teachers  ;  the  un- 
willingness of  the  people  to  furnish  board  and  lodging  for 
female  teachers  ;  and  the  unwillingness  of  the  teachers  to  go 
away  from  their  own  towns  among  strangers.  2.  The  customs 
of  the  country  forbade  the  girls,  after  a  certain  age,  appearing 
in  the  streets,  even  going  and  returning  from  school,  3.  The 
necessity  for  providing  a  place  for  girls  from  the  surrounding 
towns  and  villages,  where  they  could  go  and  be  safe,  and  be 
under  Gospel  influence  and  Christian  training  for  a  sufficient 
number  of  years,  in  the  hope  that  some  of  them  would  be- 
come teachers,  and  all  would  be  better  qualified  to  discharge 
the  duties  pertaining  to  their  family  relations. 

The  boarding  school  at  Asyut  was  under  the  management 
and  care  of  Miss  McKown.  From  the  beginning  she  was  sec- 
onded and  aided  most  willingly  and  efficiently  by  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Hogg,  whose  residence  from  the  first  adjoined  the  school.  The 
number  reported  for  the  first  year  was  eleven,  eight  from  Asyut 
and  three  from  outside  of  Asyut.  From  its  commencement  up 
to  December  31,  1879,  fifty-five  boarders  had  been  received. 
Thirteen  had  engaged  in  teaching,  more  or  less,  nine  had  mar- 
ried, and  two  had  died.  At  the  close  of  1879,  there  were  in  the 
school  -twenty-four.  The  pupils  were  from  Asyut,  Jawily,  Mell- 
awi,  Benub,  Azziyah,  Mutiah,  Masuda,  Nakheilah,  Tema,  and 
Alexandria.  The  opening  exercises  of  the  school  were  con- 
ducted by  Dr.  Hogg,  in  conjunction  with  the  students  of  the 
academy,  and  the  girls  also  attended  the  evening  meetings,  car- 
ried on  for  the  most  part  by  Dr.  Hogg,  who  also  gave  instruction 
in  vocal  music.  An  addition  had  to  be  made  to  the  building  to 
accommodate  all  the  girls.  In  1877  ^  public  examination  was 
held  in  the  church  in  connection  with  the  academy  examinations, 
and  before  the  members  of  presbytery  and  the  Association. 
The  girls  acquitted  themselves  to  the  delight  of  all  present,  al- 
though it  must  have  been  exceedingly  embarrassing  to  them  to 
appear  before  a  mixed  audience  of  Copts  and  Muhammadans, 
some  of  whom  were  the  notables  of  the  town.  Some  of  the  girls 
who  passed  through  that  trying  ordeal  are  now  proving  by  their 
deportment  and  intelligence  that  their  training  was  not  in  vain. 


IN  Egypt.  447 

In  1881  Miss  McKown,  at  the  beginning  of  the  summer  va- 
cation, left  for  America,  and  did  not  return  till  near  the  close  of 
1882.  During  her  absence  the  school  was  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  Miss  Newlin,  at  a  time  when  she  ought  to  have  been 
free  to  study  the  language.  On  Miss  McKovvn's  return  she  re- 
sumed her  place  in  the  school,  assisted  by  Miss  E.  O.  Kyle,  a 
new  arrival.  In  consequence  of  personal  interviews  with  Mr. 
William  Pressly,  of  Monmouth,  while  Miss  McKown  was  in 
America,  he  donated  in  aid  of  female  education  at  Asyut,  ^5,000 
to  help  in  the  erection  of  a  building,  and  ^5,000  as  a  fund  to 
assist  needy  and  promising  pupils.  In  recognition  of  this  munifi- 
cent gift,  the  Association  resolved  that  the  girls'  boarding  school 
in  Asyut  should  be  called  "  The  Pressly  Memorial  Institute." 

With  the  ^5,000  donated  by  Mr.  Pressly  and  ^5,000  of  the 
legacy  of  Mr.  Archibald  Stewart,  of  Indiana,  and  other  funds,  a 
lot  was  purchased  near  the  Asyut  training  college  and  a  building 
erected,  under  the  direction  of  Rev.  J.  Giffen,  having  ample  ac- 
commodation for  a  large  number  of  boarders,  with  recitation 
rooms  and  rooms  for  the  missionary  ladies  in  charge.  A  resi- 
dence for  a  missionary  family  was  also  erected  as  a  third  story. 
At  the  annual  meeting  held  in  February,  1887,  Miss  McKown's 
connection  with  the  institute  ceased,  on  account  of  her 
failing  vision,  and  Miss  Hogg  was  associated  with  Miss 
Kyle  in  charge.  A  short  account  of  her  connection  with 
it  is  given  by  herself  in  the  report  for  1886.  In  closing, 
she  there  said:  "To  me  the  future  of  the  Pressly  Memo- 
rial Institute  is  bright  with  success,  and  by  the  blessing  of 
God  it  will  become  a  mighty  power  for  good,  and  in  the  '  sweet 
bye  and  bye '  they  who  have  supported  it  by  their  contributions 
and  prayers,  they  who  have  given  it  its  beautiful  home,  we  who 
have  taught  in  it  the  way  of  salvation,  and  the  dear  girls  who 
have  learned  in  it  the  love  of  the  Saviour,  will  all  rejoice  to- 
gether around  the  throne  of  God."  I  may  add  here  that  it  was 
chiefly  through  Miss  McKown's  careful  superintendence  that  the 
institute,  year  by  year,  grew  in  the  estimation  and  confidence 
of  the  people,  and  it  was  chiefly  through  her  representations  and 
appeals  that  a  good  share  of  the  money  for  its  support  was  se- 


448  The  American  Mission 

cured,  and  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  she  and  her  work  in  the 
boarding  school  will  be  forgotten  by  the  people  there.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  the  institution  continues  to  grow  under  the  new 
management.  In  1891  Miss  Kyle  went  home  to  America  for  a 
change,  and  Miss  Hogg  remained  in  charge.  She  was  subse- 
quently assisted  by  Miss  Work.  \n  1896  there  were  149  boarders 
and  54  day  pupils.  Its  usefulness  is  increasing  year  by  year, 
but  its  present  accommodation  will  not  allow  of  an  increase 
of  numbers.  It  is  an  institution  that  has  had  a  wonderful  influ- 
ence in  changing  thoughts,  habits,  and  customs  among  the 
women  of  Asyut,  who  are,  I  believe,  advancing  along  the  lines 
of  a  Christian  civilization  more  rapidly  than  women  elsewhere 
in  Egypt. 

The  girls'  boarding  school  in  Cairo  was  opened  October  i, 
1874,  in  a  rented  house  in  the  Faggala  quarter,  with  five  board- 
ers, Miss  Johnston  and  Miss  Smith  in  joint  charge.  Their  pa- 
tience, wisdom  and  perseverance  were  tried  to  the  utmost  by 
the  parents  of  the  boarders,  who  for  a  time  would  insist  on  com- 
ing to  the  school  almost  every  day,  and  often  wished  to  stay  over 
night.  They  would  pry  into  everything  to  see  what  their  chil- 
dren ate,  what  they  drank,  and  how  they  slept.  They  had 
never  been  accustomed  to  have  them  absent  from  them  for  a 
night,  and  were  governed  only  by  a  sort  of  animal  affection  for 
them,  being  unhappy  unless  they  could  either  see  them  or  hear 
them.  Their  frequent  visits  and  untidy  habits  retarded  the  good 
work  of  training  their  children.  After  a  few  months  these  diffi- 
culties were  removed.  The  number  of  boarders  in  1875  ^^^ 
eleven,  and  eighteen  the  following  year.  From  the  end  of  1876 
the  Ezbakiyah  girls'  day  school  was  united  with  the  boarding 
school.  Miss  Smith,  at  her  own  request,  and  on  account  of  the 
increasing  necessities  of  the  girls'  school  and  women's  work  in 
Haret  es-Sakkain,  of  which  she  had  also  been  in  charge,  was 
relieved  of  her  share  in  the  Ezbakiyah  boarding  school,  and 
Miss  Thompson,  who  had  charge  of  the  day  school  of  the  Ez- 
bakiyah was  associated  with  Miss  Johnston  in  the  boarding 
school,  at  which  day  pupils  also  attended.  This  arrangement 
continued  until  Miss  Johnston's  marriage  with  Dr.  R.  Stewart, 
near  the  close  of  1881,  when  the  responsibility  fell  upon  Miss 


ON 


o 
o 


H 


-J} 


IN  Egypt.  449 

Thompson,  aided  part  of  the  time  by  Miss  Conner,  a  new  recruit 
to  the  mission.  That  year  thirty-six  boarders  attended  the 
school.  In  1884  the  average  monthly  roll  was  170,  of  whom 
34  were  boarders — about  as  many  as  could  be  accommodated. 

In  Miss  Thompson's  report  for  the  year  1884  she  said  that 
up  to  that  time  from  the  beginning  of  the  school  twenty-six  of 
those  who  had  been  or  were  boarders  had  made  a  public  profes- 
sion of  their  faith.  From  1888  Miss  A.  A.  Brown  aided  Miss 
Thompson  in  the  school,  and  had  sole  charge  from  the  time  the 
latter  left  on  a  visit  to  America  in  1890  until  her  own  marriage 
with  Rev.  J.  O.  Ashenhurst,  the  beginning  of  May,  1892, 
when  Mrs.  E.  M.  Giffen  took  charge  until  the  end  of  the  year, 
at  which  time  Miss  E.  O.  Kyle  entered  upon  her  appointment 
as  principal.  Through  the  liberality  of  Peter  McKinnon,  Esq., 
of  Scotland,  and  his  wife,  and  a  lady  in  America,  several  large  and 
small  rooms  were  added  to  the  dormitories,  allowing  the  school  to 
grow  in  numbers,  as  it  has  also  grown  in  efficiency  and  useful- 
ness, as  successive  examinations  prove.  At  the  close  of  1896 
the  following  were  the  statistics  for  that  year :  Total  day 
pupils  enrolled,  360 ;  total  boarders,  89. 

For  the  past  six  or  eight  years  Rev.  and  Mrs.  John  Giffen 
have  been  associated  with  Miss  Kyle  in  the  general  manage- 
ment, and  Mrs.  Giffen  has  had  charge  of  the  kitchen  accounts. 
The  girls  come  from  thirteen  different  villages  besides  Cairo. 
The  school  requires  an  amount  of  care  and  watchfulness  on  the 
part  of  the  principal  that  can  only  be  known  to  those  who  have 
been  in  similar  circumstances.  Like  the  sister  school  in  Asyut 
it  is  one  of  the  best  civilizing  and  evangelizing  institutions  in 
connection  with  the  mission.  For  several  years  there  was  also 
a  boarding  school  for  boys  under  the  care  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Har- 
vey. Had  there  been  sufficient  accommodation  in  the  premises 
for  expansion,  and  had  the  mission  assisted  by  a  sm.all  grant  in 
aid,  so  that  the  dues  could  have  been  lowered,  a  large  as  well 
as  a  thoroughly  efficient  boarding  school  for  boys  would  have 
been  in  existence  to-day.  The  mission,  however,  insisted  on 
making  the  boarding  department  self-sustaining,  and  there  was 
no  room  for  growth  in  numbers  ;  besides  the  rooms  were  needed 

2q 


450  The  American  Mission 

for  the  theological  students,  and  therefore,  after  much  good 
work  had  been  done  under  the  fatherly  and  motherly  care  of 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey,  the  effort  was  given  up. 

(4)  The  Asyut  Training  College.  This  institution  with 
its  fine  premises,  able  corps  of  native  instructors,  and  its  Amer- 
ican staff,  consisting  of  Dr.  J.  R.  Alexander,  Rev.  S.  G.  Hart, 
and  Miss  Buchanan,  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  school  opened  by 
Mr.  Hogg  March  5,  1865,  when  the  pupils  consisted  of  six  boys 
and  two  girls.  By  the  1 3th  of  March  they  had  increased  to  eigh- 
teen boys  and  thirteen  girls  ;  by  June  12  the  number  of  boys 
enrolled  was  thirty-five.  Through  the  intrigues  of  the  Coptic 
clergy  and  the  connivance  of  the  government  officials,  the  num- 
ber was  reduced  during  the  following  two  years ;  but  after- 
wards it  rallied  and  grew  apace,  until  in  consequence  the  mis- 
sionaries felt  that  a  high  school  should  be  established  where 
young  men  might  prosecute  studies  of  a  higher  grade  than 
were  to  be  found  in  the  boys'  school  then  existing.  Therefore 
it  was  resolved,  at  the  meeting  of  presbytery  in  Ramleh  in  the 
summer  of  1870,  to  institute  an  academy  in  Asyut  for  a  more 
advanced  literary  training  of  the  candidates  for  the  theological 
course. 

This  was  accordingly  commenced  at  the  station  on  Octo- 
ber 17  of  that  year.  The  course  of  study  for  the  first  session 
was  devotional  exercises  with  a  lesson  in  Scripture  or  the 
Shorter  Catechism  in  the  morning  ;  ancient  history,  arithmetic, 
Arabic  grammar  and  literature  by  an  Arab  sheikh,  physiology, 
natural  history,  geography,  and  English.  Twenty  pupils 
attended  the  first  session.  A  new  building  for  the  academy 
was  finished  during  the  summer  of  187 1.  The  principal  part  of 
the  funds  used  in  its  erection  was  collected  by  Dr.  Hogg  in 
England  and  Scotland  in  1866,  and  a  contribution  of  $240,  re- 
ceived from  the  young  men  of  St.  Clairsville  congregation,  O., 
was  expended  for  a  small  but  useful  philosophical  and  chemical 
apparatus.  A  graduate  of  Beirut  College  was  secured  in  1 871  to 
aid  in  the  instruction  and  government  of  the  pupils.  The  pupils 
numbered  thirty  in  1872.  Aid  to  the  amount  of  $230  was  given 
the  same  year  to  poor  students,  chiefly  those  who  were  looking 
forward  to  the  Christian  ministry.     The  enrollment  in   1S73 


IN  Egypt!  451 

reached  100,  and  average  attendance  seventy -five.    There  were 
twenty-six  from  Asyut,  twenty-two  from  Nakheilah,  twenty-two 
from  Mutiah,  ten  from  Kus  and  Luxor,  five  from  Muski,  four 
from  Dweir,  and  seven  from  other  villages.     This  encouraging 
condition  was  in  spite  of  many  trials  and  difficulties,  such  as 
Dr.  Hogg's  forced  absence  on  account  of  sickness   and  the 
change  of  the  head  master.     About  100  pupils  were  the  average 
for   1874.     Eighty  of  these  located  in  the  academy  building. 
The  remainder  being  pupils  from  Asyut,  boarded  at  their  homes. 
Eighty-five  were  sons  of  converts,  four  came  from  the  district 
of  the   Faiyum.     The   academy   v/as   under  the  direction  of 
Dr.  Johnston  from  October   15,   1874,  when  the  theological 
classes  began  for  the  winter.     On  February  8,  1875,  Dr.  John- 
ston was  elected  president,  and  the  institution  was  called  thence- 
forth "  The  Asyut  Training  College,"  in  accordance  with  the 
resolutions  passed  at^Asyut  on  February  9,  1874,  by  which  it 
was  agreed  to  establish  a  training  college  at  Asyut,  and  Dr. 
Hogg  was  authorized  to  lay  the  claims  of  this  institution  before 
the  Christian  public  of  Great  Britain  and  America.     Dr.  John- 
ston, president-elect,  left  m  the  spring  of  1875  for  a  vacation  to 
■  America.     He  did  not  return.     Mr.  D.  Strang,  being  appointed 
to  fill   the   vacancy,  entered   upon  his  duties  on  July  i,and 
remained  at  his  post  till  March,  1876,  when,  on  account  of  ill 
health  he  got  leave  to  return  to  America.    Rev.  J.  R  Alexander 
was  then  appointed  in  charge  until  the  expected  return  of  Dr. 
Johnston,  and  the  institution  was  put  under  a  board  of  control, 
consisting  of    Drs.   Hogg,  Lansing  and  Watson,  and  the  last 
named  was  requested  to  aid  Mr.  Alexander  at  the  opening  of 
the   session    July   5,  1876.      At  the  same  time  Dr.  Hogg  was 
requested  to  give  instruction  in  mental  and  moral  philosophy 
and  logic,  all  of  which  was  carried  out.  The  teachers  and  course 
of  study  then  were  as  follows  :  Dr.  Hogg,  mental  and  moral 
philosophy,  logic,  natural  philosophy,  Bible   history,  elocution, 
vocal  music  ;  Rev.  J.  R.  Alexander,  English  Testament,  univer- 
sal history,  English  grammar,  English  reading,  algebra ;   Mr. 
Abd  el-Noor,  geometry,  Arabic  grammar,  English  reading  and 
grammar,  rhetoric,  trigonometry  ;  Mr.   Mohanna   Barakat,  as- 
tronomj,    Arabic  grammar,    English    reading,    Bible    history, 


452  The  American  Mission 

English  and  Arabic  writing,  analysis  and  Arabic  sentences  ; 
Mr.  Makhiel,  primary  department,  assisted  by  a  few  of  the 
advanced  boys. 

In  the  report  for  1879  Mr.  Alexander  wrote,  saying  that 
"the  number  of  pupils  had  doubled  in  four  years,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  institution  had  greatly  advanced  in  the  efficiency 
of  the  teachers  and  in  the  extent  to  which  it  became  self-sup- 
porting. Although  many  of  the  pupils  possess  only  a  large 
shirt-like  garment  and  a  skull  cap  as  their  entire  v/ardrobe,  the 
tuition  and  kitchen  fees  amounted  to  $860,  which  a  little 
exceeds  the  total  cost  of  the  boarding  department  of  the  insti- 
tution. The  school  during  the  past  year  has  paid  the  third  of 
its  expenses,  and  if  we  deduct  the  interest  of  the  Pressly  fund 
it  will  appear  that  our  school,  with  its  staff  of  teachers,  a  large 
incidental  bill,  and  boarding  expenses  for  about  eighty  persons, 
cost  the  Church  in  America  only  about  $1,252."  Very  great 
credit  is  due  to  Mr.  Alexander  for  his  persistent  efforts  in  press- 
ing the  parents  to  pay  for  their  own  children's  education  in 
accordance  with  their  ability.  The  number  of  pupils  in  1875 
was  96;  in  1876,  100;  in  1877,96;  in  1878,  165;  in  1879, 
199.  In  reference  to  the  results  for  good  which  are  directly 
referable  to  the  institution  up  to  December  31,  1879,  I  cannot 
do  better  than  to  quote  from  Mr.  Alexander's  report  for  that 

year : 

"We  are  also  much  delighted  by  the  fruit  which  our 
school  is  beginning  to  bear,  showing  itself  to  be  a  real  training 
school,  a  real  mission  school.  During  this  year  a  number  of 
our  pupils  have  gone  out  into  the  villages  to  teach.  One  has 
gone  to  Kossair,  another  to  Kus,  and  another  to  Sanabu.  And 
the  whole  junior  class,  except  one  member,  has  been  sent  out 
to  different  places  to  engage  in  teaching  under  the  care  of  an 
older  person,  generally  the  pastor  or  the  evangelist  in  the  place. 
Two  of  this  class  are  at  Ekhmim,  where  they  have  a  school  of 
130  members.  One  was  at  Suft,  another  is  at  Beni  Adi, 
another  atNakheilah,  and  another  is  in  our  own  school.  These 
all,  with  one  exception,  receive  their  entire  support  from  the 
people  of  the  place  in  which  they  are  teaching.  Three  of  our 
pastors,  all  of  our  licentiates,  all  of  our  theological  students, 
fortv  of  our  sixty-three  male  teachers,  have  been  trained  in  it. 
And  now,  shall  it  be  told  to  the  Church  and  to  the  world  that 
the  building  in  which  have  been  trained  these  teachers,  and  from 


IN  Egypt.  453 

which  have  gone  forth  these  influences,  is  about  to  fall  down  ; 
that  only  yesterday  after  a  tremendous  gale  every  human  being 
in  it  fled  from  it,  expecting  to  be  blown  over  at  any  moment  ? 
it  has  done  what  it  could,  and  although  never  properly  fur- 
nished, it  has  been  the  source  of  streams  which,  if  God  wills, 
shall  revive  this  land  of  ancient  knowledge,  so  that  once  more 
the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians  may  be  a  synonym  for  the  highest 
culture  and  education.  After  five  years  of  repeated  disappoint- 
ments, failures  and  discouragements,  we  have  been  able  only  a 
month  ago  to  begin  to  purchase  a  lot  for  building.  We  have 
now  secured  two  acres  of  a  garden  situated  but  a  little  outside 
of  the  town.  We  are  just  on  the  point  of  making  arrange- 
ments for  collecting  the  necessary  building  materials,  and  hope 
during  the  present  year  to  get  at  least  one  story  built." 

The  foundations  of  the  dormitories  were  laid  in  1880  and 
finished  before  the  end  of  1881  and  were  occupied  by  the  famil- 
ies of  Rev.  J.  Giffen  and  Rev.  J.  K.  Giffen,  and  eighty-eight 
boarders.  The  class  rooms  in  the  main  building  were  used  be- 
fore the  end  of  1883,  and  the  closing  exercises  of  the  college  in 
1884  were  held  in  the  new  chapel.  On  that  occasion  the 
Egyptian  Gazette  said  : 

"  The  usual  semi-annual  examinations  of  the  American  Mis- 
sion Training  College  were  held  during  the  week  of  May  26-30. 
Over  forty  classes,  in  as  many  different  studies,  were  examined, 
the  subjects  ranging  from  primary  reading  to  geometry  and  high 
Arabic  grammar  and  literature.  French  and  English  are  taught 
by  French  and  English  masters.  On  Friday,  30th,  the  general 
examination  was  held.  It  v/as  attended  by  his  excellency  the 
mudir,*thewakeel,  the  president  of  the  court  of  appeal  for  upper 
Egypt,  the  heads  of  all  the  government  services,  the  ulema,  the 
professors  of  government  schools,  and  the  leading  notables  of 
the  province.  In  the  evening  the  literary  exhibition  was  held, 
the  honor  students  of  the  various  classes  delivering  declamations, 
recitations,  orations,  etc.  His  excellency  the  mudir,  with  many 
of  the  leading  officials,  ulema  and  notables  also  attended  the 
evening  exercises.  A  part  of  the  Royal  Sussex  Band  kindly 
came  up  from  Mangabet  and  generously  furnished  music  for  the 
evening.  The  governor  had  an  address,  expressing  his  interest 
in  education  and  educational  work,  sent  in  his  name  to  the  plat- 
form and  read.  The  large  new  chapel,  having  some  700  or  800 
sittings,  thus  occupied  for  the  first  time,  was  completely  filled. 
The  number  of  pupils  enrolled  during  the  past  session  was  206. 
This  was  the  happy  ending  of  the  first  session  of  1884,  and  the 
first  school  year  in  the  new  building." 

*  Governor. 


454  The  American  Mission 

Additional  dormitories  were  afterwards  erected,  as  well  as 
two  houses  for  missionaries  above  the  recitation  rooms.  Many 
thanks  and  much  honor  are  due  to  Rev.  J.  Giffen  for  overseeing 
the  erection  of  the  building,  and  by  his  practical  knowledge  be- 
ing able  to  dispense  with  an  architect,  thus  saving  a  considerable 
sum  of  money.  Although  Dr.  Hogg,  being  the  senior  mission- 
ary at  the  station,  was  therefore  the  president  of  the  college 
committee  which  embraced  the  missionaries  located  at  Asyut, 
yet  his  associates  really  had  the  management  of  the  institution 
for  several  years  before  he  died,  as  his  time  and  strength  were 
fully  taken  up  with  the  theological  and  evangelistic  departments. 
For  some  time  after  Dr.  Hogg's  death,  his  son  was  associated 
with  Dr.  Alexander  in  the  college,  and  by  his  learning  and 
special  qualifications  for  educating  young  men,  helped  to  increase 
the  efficiency  of  the  institution.  The  statistics  for  1894  were  : 
Boarders,  312;  day  scholars,  100;  total,  412.  Receipt  fees, 
^2,644;  expenses,  ^4,189. 

The  mission  college  located  at  Asyut,  is  the  principal 
school  for  the  training  of  young  men  who  are  to  become 
teachers  and  preachers.  Pupils  of  all  classes  and  religions  are 
admitted.  It  is  of  the  grade  of  the  government  colleges  in 
mathematics,  the  sciences  and  the  languages.  In  history.  Bib- 
lical and  secular,  its  course  of  study  is  very  full.  It  gives  a 
short  course  in  logic,  mental  science,  the  evidences  of  Christi- 
anity and  practical  ethics,  explaining  the  influences  of  religion 
on  life  in  the  past  and  on  the  questions  of  to-day.  All  through 
the  course  God's  Word,  in  its  effects  on  manners  and  conduct  in 
individuals,  communities  and  nations,  is  carefully  shown.  The 
great  ideal  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
on  earth,  is  constantly  presented  before  the  pupils  as  the  highest 
model  for  a  perfect  life  and  a  perfect  society.  Teachers  and  a 
ministry,  leaders  in  every  good  word  and  work,  must  be  trained 
for  the  great  moral  work  to  be  done  in  this  land.  Egypt  needs 
men  "who  shall  be  able  to  teach  others  also."  To  prepare 
such  men  is  the  great  work  of  the  college.  Men  not  college 
trained  have  been  put  into  the  ministry;  in  every  case  they 
have  proved  inferior  to  the  college  trained  men.  With  our 
present  arrangements,  the  five  most  advanced  classes  are  taught 


IN  Egypt. 


"455 


in  some  studies  by  one  of  the  missionaries.  He  is  able  to  im- 
press his  personality,  spirituality,  his  ideals,  his  faith,  and  his 
hope,  on  the  pupils'  minds.  It  is  delightful  to  observe  the  grad- 
ual expansion  of  thought,  the  enlargement  of  view,  the  en- 
nobling of  ideals  taking  place  in  the  pupils  from  year  to  year. 

The  students  are  members  of  a  missionary  society  which 
carries  on  regular  services  in  six  neighboring  villages.     They 
have  a  weekly  prayer-meeting  and  a  tri-weekly  communicants' 
meeting.     They  conduct,  also,  weekly  literary  societies.     On 
the  Sabbath  the  usual  services,  forenoon  and  afternoon,  are 
conducted  by  the  missionaries.     The  pupils  of  the  training  col- 
lege and  the  girls'  boarding  school  make  a  congregation  of  about 
400.     In  the  dormitories  of  the  boarding  department  are  at 
present  255  pupils.     These  dormitories  are  crowded,  and  the 
question  of  enlarging  the  premises  is  forcing  itself  upon  us.     The 
students  are  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  the  delta,  the  Faiyum 
and  upper  Egypt.    One  hundred  and  sixteen  villages  and  towns 
were  represented  in  1896.   During  its  existence  some  2,400  pupils 
have  received  instruction  in  its  halls  for  a  longer  or  shorter 
period.     There  are  at  present  480  pupils  in  attendance.     The 
enrollment  for  1896  was  547.*     About  212  of  its  pupils  are  em- 
ployed in  the  churches  and  schools  under  the  care  of  the  mission 
and  the  native  Church,  and  106  have  graduated.     Scores  of 
others, are  engaged  in  other  employments,  and  many  of  the  most 
active,  energetic  and  progressive  young  men  of  this  country  are 
sons  of  this  school.     The  influence  of  this  institution  has  been 
great  in  the  past,  and  no  doubt  will  be  greater  in  the  future.     It 
has  been  the  means  of  dispelling  superstition,  diffusing  useful 
knowledge,  giving  an  impetus  to  the  desire  for  education,  train- 
ing young  men  in  the  principles  of  truth  and  honesty,  helping 
them  to  overcome  their  natural  inactivity,  inspiring  them  with 
pure  motives  and  holy  ambitions,  and  preparing  suitable  material 
for  the  various  departments  of  the  Government  service  or  pri- 
vate business,  and  teachers  for  schools,  and  preachers  and  pas- 
tors for  the  Church. 

(5)  The  Theological  Seminary.  This  is  the  smallest,  but 
not  the  least  important,  of  the  divisions  of  the  educational  de- 
*  Of  these  447  were  boarders  and  100  day  scholars. 


456  The  American  Mission 

partment  of  the  mission.  The  idea  of  training  young  Egyptians 
for  the  Lord's  work  was  entertained  ahnost  from  the  beginning 
of  the  mission,  and  plans  to  carry  the  idea  into  practice  were 
formed  very  early  in  its  history.  As  1  have  mentioned,  Dr. 
Lansing,  in  the  first  years  of  his  labors  in  Alexandria,  gave 
special  lessons  to  a  promising  Syrian  in  the  lines  of  training  for 
the  ministry.  February,  1863,  the  following  resolutions  were 
adopted  by  the  presbytery  : 

"  Whereas,  there  are  now  six  individuals  in  full  commun- 
ion with  us  who  desire  to  study  theology,  and  who  are  judged 
by  presbytery  fit  persons  to  be  admitted  to  that  study  ;  and 
whereas,  the  presbytery  judges  it  of  great  importance  that  a 
commencement  should  be  made  in  this  work,  and  thus  a  nucleus 
be  formed  to  which  others  may  come,  therefore, 

"  Resolved,  (i)  Tiiat  the  missionaries  in  Cairo  [they 
were  then  Messrs.  Lansing,  Hogg,  and  Evving]  be  directed  at 
once  to  organize  classes  and  make  arrangements  for  giving 
lessons  in  systematic  and  pastoral  theology,  and  church  history. 

"  (2)  That  the  teachers  in  the  boys'  school  who  are  also 
members  of  the  Church  be  encouraged,  as  far  as  their  present 
engagements  will  permit,  to  attend  these  lectures,  in  order  the 
better  to  prepare  them  for  their  duties  in  the  school. 

"(3)  That  in  conducting  these  exercises  reference  be 
also  had  to  the  preparation  of  material  for  publication,  in  order 
to  meet  the  great  and  increasing  demand  for  a  sound  Christian 
literature. 

In  consequence  of  this  action,  a  theological  class  was  for- 
mally organized  in  Cairo  on  September  26,  1864,  with  eleven 
members,  four  of  whom  were  Coptic  priests.  Four  hours  a 
day  were  spent  with  them  giving  them  lessons  in  Arabic  gram- 
mar, arithmetic,  and  systematic  theology.  It  can  easily  -be 
imagined  that  some  of  them  were  not  far  advanced  in  knowl- 
edge when  arithmetic  was  made  one  of  the  studies.  The  fact 
was  that  few  of  them  had  had  any  mental  training,  and  it  was 
thought  that  nothing  would  be  better  adapted  than  arithmetic 
for  training  them  to  think  logically.  Subsequently  these  pupils 
enrolled  were  employed  during  vacation  at  various  places, 
as  Alexandria,  Asyut,  and  Cairo,  and  as  it  was  considered  unwise 
to  take  them  away  from  such  places  where  they  could  be  usefully 
employed,  so  it  was  ordered  (August  15,  1865)  that  the  mis- 


Arab  School. 


IN  Egypt.  457 

sionaries  at  the  various  stations  sliould  instruct  tiiose  students 
who  are  at  their  stations  in  the  various  branches  of  theology,  and 
a  course  for  three  years'  study  was  prepared  for  the  guidance  of 
the  teachers  and  the  tauglit.  This  led  to  the  division  of  the 
students,  and  instruction  was  given,  both  at  Asyut,  by  Dr. 
Hogg,  and  in  Cairo,  by  Dr.  Lansing,  but  the  classes  were  sus- 
pended during  their  absence,  the  one  in  Scotland  and  the  other 
in  America.  In  1867  the  united  class  was  taught  in  Asyut  by 
Dr.  Hogg.  Nine  adults  and  six  boys  from  the  school  attended. 
Some  of  the  original  eleven  were  employed  elsewhere  in  evan- 
gelistic work.  Of  the  seminary  in  1868  Dr.  Hogg  wrote  in  the 
report  for  that  year : 

"The  seminary  was  opened  on  Monday,  September  15. 
Eighteen  names  were  enrolled  the  first  week,  and  four  have 
since  been  added  to  the  list.  Nineteen  of  the  students  are 
members  of  the  Church,  and  thirteen  of  these  are  very  promis- 
ing young  men  who  would  pass  creditably — some  of  them  prob- 
ably with  honors — through  some  of  our  western  seminaries. 
Sixteen  of  them  lead  in  prayer  by  turn  in  opening  and  closing 
the  class,  and  also  when  called  upon  at  the  evening  meeting,  . 
and  they  do  so  with  great  freedom  and  propriety.  Besides 
attending  the  nightly  lectures  which  are  open  to  all,  the  class 
meets  four  hours  daily,  two  and  a  half  hours  with  the  mission- 
ary and  one  and  a  half  with  the  native  tutor.  A  weekly  writ- 
ten examination  is  conducted  in  the  different  branches  of  study, 
and  each  of  the  thirteen  advanced  students  is  required  to  prepare 
and  deliver  at  one  of  the  evening  meetings  a  popular  sermon, 
and  a  lecture  during  the  course  of  the  session.  The  junior 
students  write  their  exercises  but  do  not  deliver  them.  From 
want  of  text-books  the  progress  is  somewhat  slow,  the  class 
having  to  copy  the  teacher's  notes  from  day  today.  This  they 
do  out  of  class  hours,  and  thus  they  are  kept  at  work  all  the 
time." 

The  writer  was  appointed  to  assist  Dr.  Hogg  the  following 
year  in  training  the  theological  students.  He  fulfilled  that 
appointment  and  took  the  department  of  systematic  theology,  in 
the  order  of  the  Shorter  Catechism.  During  the  summer  of  187 1 
the  class  was  in  Ramleh,  with  Rev.  Messrs.  Lansing  and  Hogg 
as  professors,  the  writer  being  obliged  to  take  a  change  to  Syria, 
on  account  of  a  severe  attack  of  ophthalmia.  Again  in  Ramleh, 
in  1872,  under  the  instruction  of  Dr.  Lansing,  Dr.  Ewing  and 


458  The  American  Mission 

the  writer;  then  during  the  winter  of  1874-75  the  class  was  in 
Asyut,  under  Dr.  Hogg  and  tlie  writer.  For  a  while  theological 
instruction  was  determined  a  good  deal  by  circumstances,  such 
as  the  state  of  health  of  the  professors,  their  presence  in  or 
absence  from  the  field,  the  necessities  of  other  departments  of 
the  work,  and  the  result  of  the  examination  of  the  theologues. 
There  was  not,  either,  entire  accord  on  the  part  of  the  mis- 
sionaries as  to  the  place  for  the  permanent  location  of  the 
seminary.  During  January  and  February,  1876,  eight  of  the 
theological  students  were  with  Dr.  Hogg  at  Kus,  taking  lessons 
in  the  daytime  and  aiding  in  evangelistic  work  in  the  evening 
and  Sabbath  days;  and  in  the  spring  of  1879  six  of  them 
accompanied  him  to  Ekhmim  and  were  employed  in  the  same 
way.  Subsequently  the  same  plan  was  followed  once  in  Minya. 
Perhaps  this  was  the  best  thing  to  be  done  at  the  time,  on 
account  of  the  limited  number  of  workers  and  the  great  demand 
of  the  evangelistic  department,  but  the  opportunity  for  the 
proper  training  of  young  men  in  the  doctrines  and  principles  of 
the  Christian  system  was  comparatively  small,  and  perhaps 
was  one  of  the  reasons  why  so  many  of  them  afterwards  were 
influenced  by  the  Plymouth  Brethren  vagaries. 

In  1879  tlie  association  made  the  following  division  of  the 
branches  of  study  among  the  professors  for  the  four  years  of 
study : 

FIRST  YEAR. 

DR.  HOGG— Hebrew  language,  Church  history,  Introduction  to  Old  Testa- 
ment, Canon  and  excursus  on  difficult  passages,  Moral  science,  Elocution  and 
Composition. 

SECOND  YEAR. 

DR.  HOGG— Hebrew  language.  Church  history.  Introduction  to  Old  Testa- 
ment, Canon  and  excursus  on  difficult  passages,  Evidences,  Elocution  and  Com- 
position. 

DR.  WATSON— Natural  theology,  Systematic  theology. 

THIRD  YEAR. 

DR.  LANSING— Hebrew  exegesis,  Apologetics,  Hermeneutics  of  Old  Testa- 
ment, Typology. 

DR.  HOGG— Church  history,  Introduction  to  New  Testament. 

DR.  WATSON— Systematic  theology,  Hermeneutics  of  New  Testament, 
Theism,  etc.,  etc. 


IN  Egypt.  459 

FOURTH  YEAR. 

DR.  LANSING — Hebrew  exegesis,  Hermeneutics  of  Old  Testament,  Prophecy, 
Pastoral  office  and  duties. 

DR.  Hogg — Church  history,  Introduction  to  New  Testament,  Muhammad- 
anism. 

DR.  Watson — Systematic  theology,  Hermeneutics  of  New  Testament, 
Church  government. 

Subsequently  it  was  arranged  that  the  junior  class  be 
taught  by  Dr.  Hogg  at  Asyut,  and  the  senior  classes  by  Drs. 
Lansing  and  Watson  at  Cairo  ;  and  later  on  some  of  the  studies 
pursued  in  the  seminary  were  put  into  the  last  year's  course  in 
the  training  college,  and  the  time  of  attendance  at  the  seminary 
reduced  to  three  years  of  seven  months  each.  After  Dr. 
Hogg's  death,  Dr.  Harvey  (March  10,  1887)  was  elected  pro- 
fessor in  the  seminary  in  the  department  of  church  history, 
pastoral  theology,  etc. 

The  seminary  has  now  been  located  in  Cairo  for  several 
years,  and  has  suitable  dormitories  and  a  recitation  room.  The 
following  are  the  names  of  those  who  have  studied  at  the  sem- 
inary and  have  been  ordained  : 

pastors. 

1.  Rev.  Tadros  Yusif,  Pastor  Nakheilah. 

2.  Rev.  Ibrahim  Yusif,  Pastor  Asyut  (died). 

3.  Rev.  Shenooda  Hanna,  Pastor  Sinoris. 

4.  Rev.  Girgis  Raphail,  Pastor  Mellawi  (Plymouthite). 

5.  Rev.  Girgis  Abeid,  Pastor  Ekhmim  (died). 

6.  Rev.  Iskaros  Mass'ood,  Pastor  Abnub  (died). 

7.  Rev.  Makhail  Maziki,  Pastor  Jawily. 

8.  Rev.  Ibrahim  Tanyus,  Pastor  Mutiah. 

9.  Rev.  Hanna  Bashai,  Pastor  Minya. 

10.  Rev.  Bishai  Makhail,  Pastor  Beni  Adi. 

11.  Rev.  Ghabrail  Yusif,  Pastor  Sinhore. 

12.  Rev.  Benyamin  Fam,  Pastor  Abutig. 

13.  Rev.  Boulus  Makhail.  Pastor  Hore. 

14.  Rev.  Aweida  Abd  es-Shahid,     Pastor  Luxor. 

15.  Rev.  Maawad  Hanna,  Pastor  Asyut. 

16.  Rev.  Shahata  Aweida,  Pastor  Mellawi. 

17.  Rev.  Makhail  Takla.  Pastor  Abu  Kerkas. 

18.  Rev.  Sawarus  Makhail,  Pastor  Daweir. 

19.  Rev.  Sawarus  Garas,  Pastor  Suft  el-Laben. 

20.  Rev.  Boulus  Abd  el-Shahid,       Pastor  Ekhmim. 

21.  Rev.  Tadros  Hanna,  Pastor  Suft  Midoom. 

22.  Rev.  Salih  Hanalla.  Pastor  Haret  es-Sakkain. 

23.  Rev.  Makhail  Abadir,  Pastor  Monsurah. 

24.  Rev.  Hanna  Grace,  Pastor  Deir  Abu  Hiunis. 
2q.  Rev.  Garas  Grace,  Pastor  Meir. 

26.    Rev.  Butros  Dyanirius  (om).     He  has  become  a  Plymouthite. 


46o  The  American  Mission 

LICENTIATES. 

Theophiius  Girgis,  Salih  Feltus. 

Taiiyus  Ahd  es-Se>T^.  Marcus  Ghabrus, 

Girgis  Haiiein.  A\ai<ar  Girgis. 

Tubia  Bishai.  A\itliak  BaUhit. 

Bishara  Girgis.  Biitros  Hanna. 

Suleiman  Tanyus.  A\atta  A\aUhail. 

Bashai  Fani.  A\asauJ  A\usaad, 

Bastaros  Khalil.  AVirgus  Alvid, 

Gabra  Tadros,  Ibraliiiii  Girgis, 

Andraus  Wasif,  Farah  Buktor. 

A\al<hail  Salama,  Ishac  Khalil. 
Aeed  Tadros, 

It  has  been  the  writer's  dut\'  and  pleasure  to  ha\'e  a  share- 

i 
in   the  trainino;  of  all  these  pastors  and  licentiates,  with  the 

exception  of  Re\s.  Tadros  Yusif  and  Ibrahim  Yusif,  who  were 

disciples   of    Drs.    Lansinj:;,    HoLig   and    Ewing,   and    in    their 

younger  da\'s  of  Drs.  Barnett  and  McCague. 


IN  Egypt.  461 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

PRESENT  POLITICAL  STATUS  OF  EGYPT. 

The  Khedivate— Change  of  succession— Parties  claiming  political  power- 
Provinces— Ministry— British  control— Debt— Three  classes  of  courts— Agricul- 
ture—Taxation— Irrigation— Products— Exports—  Imports  —  Education—  Railway 
system— Telegraphs— Postoffice— Influence  of  British  occupation. 

Since  our  mission  began,  several  important  and  some  great 
changes  have  taken  place  in  the  governmental  status  of  Egypt, 
and  as  some  of  these  have  an  important  bearing  on  residents, 
including  missionaries,  it  seems  necessary  to  add  a  few  pages 
at  the  end  of  this  history,  that  the  reader  may  understand  the 
situation  at  the  present  time. 

Up  to  the  rule  of  Ishmael  Pasha,  the  political  status  of  Egypt 
remained  in  accordance  with  the  arrangements  made  with  Mu- 
hammad Ali  by  the  Sultan  and  the  great  powers.  Egypt  con- 
tinued to  be  a  nominal  part  of  the  Turkish  empire.  A  large 
tribute  was  paid  to  Constantinople  yearly,  certain  restrictions 
on  the  army  and  navy  remained,  the  succession  to  the  vice- 
royalty  was  in  favor  of  the  oldest  male  descendant  of  Muham- 
mad Ali.  Ishmael  Pasha,  through  a  liberal  use  of  money  in 
Constantinople,  and  with  the  consent  of  the  powers,  secured  a 
change  in  the  succession,  so  that  his  oldest  son  should  follow 
him  in  the  viceroyalty,  and  the  title  of  Khedive  was  substituted 
for  that  of  viceroy.  The  extravagance  of  the  first  Khedive 
brought  the  government  of  Egypt  into  the  greatest  financial 
straits,  and  in  his  trouble  the  Khedive  unwillingly  consented  to 
the  admission  of  two  Europeans  as  members  of  the  cabinet,  in 
order  to  assist  in  keeping  the  ship  of  state  afloat.  This  arrange- 
ment, as  we  have  seen,  was  of  short  duration,  and  events  soon 
led  to  the  dismissal  of  Ishmael  and  the  accession  of  the  kind- 
hearted  Muhammad  Tawfik,  who  accepted  the  appointment  of 


462  The  American  Mission 

an  Englishman  and  a  Frenchman  under  the  name  of  controllers, 
and  they,  with  the  best  intentions  and  with  laudable  energy 
and  wisdom,  began  the  good  work  of  preventing  extravagance, 
of  practicing  economy,  and  honestly  collecting  taxation.  That 
meant  the  dismissal  of  useless  clerks  and  petty  officials,  careful 
watching  the  public  treasury,  so  that  nothing  but  honest  pay- 
ments should  be  made.  This  caused  a  large  amount  of  discon- 
tent and  friction.  Then  arose  and  culminated  the  conflict  be- 
tween the  Circassian  and  Egyptian  officers  in  the  army,  and  the 
assumption  of  the  latter  of  the  power  of  removing  and  appoint- 
ing the  ministers  of  state,  which  terminated,  as  we  have  seen, 
in  massacres  and  rebellion,  and  brought  about  the  British  mili- 
tary expedition  under  General  Wolseley  in  1882,  and  subse- 
quently the  occupation  of  the  country  by  British  troops.  Soon 
after  this  occupation,  the  minister  of  foreign  affairs  of  Great 
Britain  made  known  to  the  Egyptian  government  that  in  all  im- 
portant political,  financial  and  administrative  measures,  the 
opinion  of  the  British  representative  in  Egypt  must  be  respected 
so  long  as  the  country  continued  to  be  occupied  by  British 
troops. 

There  are  three  parties  claiming  the  exercise  of  power  in 
the  government  of  Egypt,  (i)  the  Sultan,  nominally  the  suzer- 
ain, and  receiving  a  tribute  of  ^3,500,000  yearly,  for  which 
Egypt  receives  nothing  in  return,  but  is  ever  plotting  to  increase 
his  baneful  influence  in  the  Nile  valley;  (2)  the  British  repre- 
sentative, with  instructions  to  watch  over  and  direct  in  general 
all  the  important  affairs  of  state;  (3)  and  the  native  govern- 
ment, with  the  Khedive  at  its  head,  supposed  to  act  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  "  Egypt  for  the  Egyptians."  Add  to  this  the  immense 
power  of  the  representatives  of  the  foreign  governments  in 
jealously  guarding  the  rights  granted  to  foreigners  under  the 
capitulations,  by  which  no  foreigner  can  be  apprehended  with- 
out the  permission  of  his  consul,  and,  if  charged  with  a  criminal 
offence,  can  only  be  judged  in  accordance  with  the  laws  and  by 
a  judge  of  his  own  country. 

Egypt  is  divided  into  fourteen  provinces  and  five  mayorali- 
ties.  These  latter  are  Alexandria,  Damietta  and  Suez,  R^setta 
and  Damietta.     Over  each  province  there   is  a  go\-ernor  and 


IN  EG^'PT.  463 

sub-governor,  and  over  each  mayorality  a  mayor.  The  prov- 
inces are  subdivided  according  to  their  size,  and  a  petty  official 
appointed  over  each  division.  The  Khedive  has  a  minister  of 
interior,  exterior,  justice,  public  works,  education  and  finance. 
These,  with  the  financial  adviser,  form  the  cabinet.  All  are 
natives  except  the  financial  adviser,  who  is  a  Britisher.  The 
sub-ministers,  who  are  generally  British,  do  the  work  and  make 
the  plans,  and  present  these  to  the  ministers  for  approval  before 
being  sent  to  the  Khedive  for  his  seal.  There  is  also  a  parlia- 
mentary body,  but  its  decisions  are  only  suggestions,  which  may 
or  may  not  be  adopted  by  the  ministry.  Besides  the  financial 
adviser  there  is  also  an  adviser  to  the  ministry  of  the  interior  as 
well,  and  to  the  department  of  justice  ;  these  are  subjects  of  the 
Queen  of  England.  Under  the  department  of  the  interior  there 
is  the  police,  with  Englishmen  over  its  chief  divisions,  and  the 
prisons,  with  an  English  chief.  The  railways,  telegraphs  and 
customs  are  administered  in  the  interests  of  the  bondholders  by 
three  commissioners,  one  an  Englishman,  one  a  Frenchman,  and 
one  a  native,  the  first  being  president.  The  total  debt  of  Egypt 
at  the  present  time  is  about  ^500,000,000,  some  of  which  is 
guaranteed  by  the  railways  and  certain  provinces,  some  by 
certain  lands,  called  the  daira,  or  the  domains.  The  total  rev- 
enue is  annually  about  1^52,000,000.  The  interest  on  the  debt 
is  about  ;^  18,000,000.  The  government  requires  for  adminis- 
trative and  other  purposes  most  of  the  balance.  Any  person 
desiring  to  know  all  the  details,  intricacies  and  anomalies  of 
Egyptian  finance  and  administration,  should  secure  a  copy  of 
"  England  in  Egypt,"  by  Sir  Alfred  Milner. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  in  Egypt  three  classes  of 
courts.  First,  the  native  courts,  where  judges  are  native 
Egyptians  (mostly  Muslims),  with  a  few  Europeans.  In  these 
are  tried  all  cases  both  civil  and  criminal,  arising  between  native 
subjects,  also  criminal  cases  between  a  European  plaintiff  and 
a  native  defendant.  Second,  the  mixed  tribunals,  whose 
judges  are  about  equally  divided  between  natives  and  foreign- 
ers, the  foreign  judges  being  provided  by  the  various  govern- 
ments of  Europe  and  the  United  States  of  America,  and  the 
native  judges  being  appointed   by  the  Egyptian  government. 


464  The  American  Mission 

The  code  according  to  which  decisions  are  made  is  practically 
the  Code  Napoleon.  The  cases  which  are  brought  before  these 
tribunals  are  civil  cases  between  persons  of  different  nationali- 
ties. Third,  the  consular  courts.  These  hear  all  civil  and 
criminal  cases  arising  between  persons  of  the  same  nationalit}'  ; 
i.  e.,  if  any  civil  or  criminal  case  arise  between  two  English- 
men, it  is  adjudicated  by  the  British  consular  court ;  if  between 
two  Americans  by  the  American  consular  court.  Criminal 
cases  between  persons  of  different  nationalities  are  brought 
before  the  consular  court  of  the  defendant. 

The  inhabitants  of  Egypt  depend  almost  entirely  on  agri- 
culture for  their  means  of  support.  The  number  of  acres  of 
cultivated  land  is  about  5,000,000.  The  tax  per  acre  varies 
from  one  dollar  up  to  eight  dollars,  according  to  the  quality  of 
the  land,  and  in  some  cases,  in  consequence  of  special  favors 
granted  by  former  viceroys.  The  total  land  tax  is  about 
$25,000,000.  As  agriculture  in  Egypt  depends  not  on  the 
rains,  but  on  the  artificial  distribution  of  water  from  the  Nile 
by  means  of  canals,  etc.,  the  department  of  irrigation  is  one  of 
the  most  important.  Since  the  British  occupation  the  best 
scientific  and  practical  measures  have  been  adopted  to  secure  to 
the  fellaheen  an  equitable  distribution  of  water.  Before  that 
time  bribery  flourished  in  this  department,  and  the  lands  of  the 
poor  were  often  destitute  of  water.  The  highest  praise  is  due 
to  Sir  Colin  Scott  Moncrieff  and  his  staff,  of  honest  men  for 
working  out  a  marvelous  reformation  to  the  benefit  and  delight 
of  the  poor  peasantry.  Here  and  there  still  exist  the  remains 
of  the  old  system  carried  on  in  secret,  but  the  improvement  is 
so  great  that,  in  many  places  where  the  poor  peasant  had  to 
pay  five  dollars  an  acre  to  his  rich  neighbor  for  water  raised  by 
a  steam  pump,  the  water  is  now  supplied  to  him  by  the  govern- 
ment, and  the  steam  pumps  are  silent.  The  agricultural  pro- 
ducts consist  of  wheat,  millet,  maize,  rice,  melons,  sugar,  hemp, 
etc. 

From  the  department  of  customs  it  appears  that  the  chief 
imports  are  cotton  stuffs,  coal,  provisions,  coffee,  tobacco,  in- 
digo, hardware,  woolen  goods,  timber,  wines,  spirits  and 
machinery.     The  imports  in  1896  equalled  $45,750,000. 


Dr.   Grant  Bey. 


IN  Egypt.  465 

The  exports  consist  mainly  of  cotton  and  cotton  seed, 
beans,  wiieat,  sugar,  maize,  rice,  gums,  hides,  wool,  barley, 
cigarettes,  ivory  and  ostrich  feathers.  Exports  in  1896  equalled 
;^66,ooo,ooo. 

Education  is  making  advancement  year  by  year.  The 
government  has  in  Cairo  schools  of  various  kinds,  primary, 
high,  technical,  military,  normal,  law,  and  in  the  provinces 
primary  and  high  schools.  The  entire  number  of  pupils  in 
1896,  under  the  immediate  control  of  the  department  of  public 
instruction,  was  10,749.  ^^  addition  to  these  the  various  relig- 
ious communities  have  in  proportion  to  their  number  smaii 
primary  schools,  in  which  are  taught  reading  and  writing,  as 
well  as  the  first  principles  of  their  religious  faiths,  while  the 
Catholics  of  various  designations  have  some  higher  schools  to 
which  many  are  attracted  by  means  of  the  facilities  for  acquir- 
ing the  French  language.  The  Copts  have  recently  been  mov- 
ing also  in  the  matter  of  education,  but  it  is  more  from  a  desire 
to  injure  the  mission  schools  than  from  a  desire  to  teach  their 
children.  It  often  happens  they  open  a  school  to  draw  off  the 
boys  from  ours,  and  when  ours  closes  soon  after  theirs  is 
allowed  to  drop.  They  have  a  high  school  in  Cairo  in  the  patri- 
archate embracing  a  higher  and  lower  department.  They  have 
lately  been  trying  to  organize  a  theological  class,  but  the  clergy 
are  opposed  to  it,  and,  though  greatly  needed,  it  is  not  likely  to 
succeed  unless  more  union  in  Coptic  councils  prevails. 

The  railway  system  has  developed  rapidly.  When  the 
writer  came  to  Egypt  there  was  only  the  line  from  Alexandria 
to  Cairo,  and  from  Cairo  to  Suez.  Now,  Alexandria,  Rosetta, 
Damietta,  Benha,  Zakazik,  Ismailia,  Suez,  Port  Said,  Cairo, 
Beni  Suef,  Faiyum,  Minya,  Asyut,  Girga,  Kena  and  Luxor  are 
connected  by  railways,  and  soon  the  system  will  include 
Aswan,  Wadi  Haifa  and  Beni  Hammid,  etc.  The  number  of 
passengers  conveyed  by  the  railways  in  1896  was  9,854,000. 
Telegraphic  communication  extends  to  all  important  places  in 
the  Nile  valley,  and  follows  the  army  in  the  Sudan.  The  post 
office  department  is  equal  to  about  the  best  in  the  world. 

Many  Americans  ask  what  I  think  of  the  British  occupation. 
Theoretically,  it  may  be  compared  to  a  man  forcibly  taking  pos- 
30 


466  The  American  Mission 

session  of  another's  house,  and,  without  consulting  his  wishes, 
taking   upon   himself  to  arrange  his  furniture  and  direct    his 
cuisine,  and  serve  to  him  his  meals  in  what  the  intruder  con- 
siders a  more  orderly  manner.     Of  course  the  owner  of  the 
house  could  not  be  supposed  to  show  much  affection  towards  the 
intruder,  even  though  his  rooms  be  better  arranged,  his  furni- 
ture be  better  kept,  his  expenses  be  considerably  less,  and  his 
debts  gradually  being   reduced.      The  fact  is,  however,  that 
nations  can  scarcely  be  compared  to  families.     Egypt,  at  any 
rate,  is  on  the  highway  to  important  possessions  of  European 
governments  in  the  East,  and  cannot  be  allowed  to  get  into  a 
state   of  anarchy,  and  thus  endanger  the  Suez  Canal  route. 
Besides  it  was  abundantly  proved  that  the  native  Egyptian  gov- 
ernment either  could  not,  or  would  not,  administer  its  affairs  on 
the  principles  of  justice  and  economy,  but  was  year  by  year 
becoming  more  despotic,  cruel  and  extravagant,  ending  in  the 
insubordination  of  the  military,  and  then  the  revolution  and  the 
occupation.     At  no  time  since  the  occupation  could  the  British 
have  left  without  danger  of  an  immediate  revolution,  and  they 
cannot  in  the  future  until  there  is  left  in  the  country  such  a 
power,  civil  and  military,  as  can  control  and  direct  a  people  the 
large  majority  of  whom  are  moved  only  by  selfish  motives  and 
religious  fanaticism.     Suffice  it  to  say,  that  though  it  would  be 
easy  to  find  fault  with  individual  actions,  and  even  with  some 
administrative  and  corrective  measures  adopted  since  the  occu- 
pation,  still  none   but   an   Anglophobe    will    deny   the   great 
improvement  made  in  the  country  since   1883  in  almost  all  the 
departments  of  state,  in  spite  of  the  senseless  bigotry  and  stub- 
born non-possumus  of  the  natives,  and  the  contemptible  jeal- 
ousy, persistent  and  annoying  opposition  of  some  of  the  great 
powers.     Those  of  us  who  know  Egypt  and  Egyptian  ways  in 
the  reign  of  Said  and  Ishmael  can  appreciate  the  change  of  to 
day.     Still  a  republican  from  the  West  cannot  help  wishing  for 
the  time  to  come   when  the   Egyptians,  with  an  enlightened 
patriotism  and  a  love  of  equal  liberty  and  justice  for  all,  will 
control  and  direct  their  own  political  destinies.     If  that  time 
ever  comes  the  present  occupation  will  be  acknowledged  by  all 
truthful  writers  to  have  been  one  of  the  means  for  its  realiz- 
ation. 


IN  EGYPT.  467 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

SPECIAL  FRIENDS  AND  HELPERS. 

The  Ladies'  Society  of  Paisley,  Scotland— Students'  United  Presbvterian  Semi- 
nary at  Edinburgh— Maharajah  Dhulup  Singh— Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Mackinnon— 
Turkish  Aid  Society— Ludwig  Muller,  Esq.— Dr.  J.  S.  Grant  Bey  and  Wife. 

While  the  larger  part  of  the  support  of  the  mission  has 
been  borne  by  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  in  America, 
others  have  lent  a  helping  hand,  without  which  the  work  would 
not  have  extended  so  quickly  or  so  widely  in  the   Nile  valley. 

(i)  The  Ladies'  Society  of  Paisley,  Scotland,  is  deserv- 
ing of  special  mention  for  their  help  in  support  of  the  girls' 
school  in  Alexandria,  from  the  beginning  of  its  existence  and 
during  many  successive  years.  Their  annual  grant,  sometimes 
more  and  sometimes  less,  and  occasionally  doubled,  was  a 
great  encouragement  and  help,  especially  as  it  was  always  ac- 
companied with  kind  and  stimulating  words.  When  I  first  went 
to  Alexandria,  in  1861,  Rev.  John  Hogg,  before  removing  to 
Cairo,  informed  me  that  it  would  be  part  of  my  duty  to  give 
yearly  a  report  of  the  girls'  school  to  the  ladies  in  Paisley.  On 
asking  him  to  whom  I  should  address  the  report  he  replied, 
"Address  the  Rev.  G.  C.  Hutton."*  The  name  called  to  my 
memory  a  young  man  who  acted  as  teacher  in  the  country 
school  which  I  attended  in  Perthshire,  Scotland,  in  my  youth. 
Brother  Hogg  thought  he  might  be  the  same,  so  in  my  first 
communication  I  asked  if  I  had  the  pleasure  of  corresponding 
with  one  who  at  such  a  time  taught  school  at  such  a  place,  and 
if  so,  did  he  remember  the  name  of  a  widow  called  Watson  who 
had  then  two  daughters  and  a  son  with  her,  the  other  sons 
having  gone  to  America  ?    He  replied  that  he  was  the  person, 

*  Now  Dr.  Hutton,  principal  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Theological  Hall,  Edin- 
burgh. 


468  The  American  Mission 

and  remembered  the  family  well,  and  made  inquiries  about 
each  member  of  the  family  by  name,  although  at  least  eighteen 
years  had  passed  since  he  saw  them.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  afterwards  meeting  him  and  some  of  the 
ladies  in  Paisley. 

(2)  The  mission  has  been  greatly  indebted  also  to  the 
students  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Seminary  at  Edinburgh  for 
their  successful  prosecution  of  at  least  two  schemes  for  aiding 
our  mission  in  Egypt.  One  of  these  was  carried  through  by 
the  efforts  of  Dr.  Hogg,  and  the  other  inaugurated  and  pushed 
by  his  son,  the  Rev.  H.  W.  Hogg.  By  these  schemes  the 
finances  of  the  mission  were  increased  about  $6,000  each  time, 
the  amount  realized  from  the  second  being  used  for  aiding  in 
the  erection  of  small  chapels  throughout  the  Nile  valley.  Many 
congregations  with  church  buildings  have  been  aided  by  this 
fund  to  the  extent  of  from  ;^2oo  to  $400. 

(3)  The  annual  gift  of  the  Maharajah  Dhulup  Singh,  on 
the  anniversary  of  his  marriage  with  Bamba,  amounting  to 
;^i,ooo  ($5,000),  was  continued  during  thirteen  years,  and 
greatly  relieved  the  treasury  of  the  mission  at  the  time  it  was 
first  given,  and  subsequently  enabled  it  to  increase  its  forces 
and  occupy  new  centers.  !t  had  not  only  a  money  value  to  the 
mission,  but  we  knew  that  as  long  as  it  was  continued  his 
highness  had  an  interest  in  good  things,  and  when  it  ceased  we 
feared  that  bad  company  had  had  its  influence  upon  him,  which 
we  learned  afterwards  was  the  case.  This,  no  doubt,  led  the 
British  government  to  reject  his  claims  for  additional  allowances 
which  in  turn  reacted  upon  his  proud  spirit  and  drove  him  to 
apparent  rejection  of  Christianity  and  re-acceptance  of  heath- 
enism, and  open  opposition  to  Great  Britain,  for  all  of  which 
he  was  thoroughly  sorry  afterwards. 

He  was  subsequently  reconciled  to  her  majesty  the  Queen, 
and  in  a  brief  visit  which  Dr.  Harvey  made  him  in  Paris,  some 
months  before  he  died,  it  was  clear  he  was  trusting  in  the  Lord 
and  in  His  grace  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  In  1890 he  gave 
the  mission  two  sums  of  ;^2,ooo  each.  One  of  these  sums,  at 
the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Lansing,  has  been  set  aside  as  a  fund  for 
the  education  of  young  men  for  the  ministry. 


IN  Egypt. 


469 


The  Maharanee  Bamba  died  at  her  own  home  in  1887,  in  the 
humble  and  strong  faith  in  which  she  lived.  Mrs.  S.  B.  Lan- 
sing who  had  been  her  teacher  and  life-long  friend,  was  by  her 
bedside  when  she  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  The  Maharajah  died 
suddenly  in  Paris  several  years  later.  They  left  two  sons  and 
three  daughters. 

(4)  None  deserve  more  honorable  mention  in  this  con- 
nection than  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Mackinnon.  For  many  years 
they  have  sent  an  annua!  gift  to  the  mission,  and  on  several 
occasions  they  have  donated  much  larger  sums  to  aid  in  special 
work,  and  notably  for  the  enlargement  of  the  girls'  school  in 
Cairo,  and  a  year  ago  they  sent  a  cheque  for  ^1,000  as  a  fund 
the  proceeds  of  which  are  to  be  used  for  the  instruction  of  girls 
in  Cairo.  This  sum  is  invested  in  America,  and  is  called  "  The 
Helen  Love  Mackinnon  Fund,"  in  memory  of  their  dearly  be- 
loved and  only  child,  who  died  of  diphtheria  in  Egypt.  These 
dear  Christian  friends  use  in  various  ways  and  in  an  unosten- 
tatious manner  the  means  God  has  given  them  for  doing  good. 
Their  many  acts  of  kindness  and  benevolence  can  only  be 
enumerated  by  the  Saviour  whom  they  devoutly  serve 
Wherever  they  travel  they  are  ever  ready  to  lend  a  helping 
hand  in  any  good  work  that  Christian  people  are  carrying  on! 

(5)  We  have  also  been  under  great  obligations  to  the 
Turkish  Aid  Society  for  encouraging  words  and  annual  contribu- 
tions, discontinued  only  during  the  past  two  years. 

(6)  We  are  very  grateful  to  our  banker,  Ludwig  Muller 
Esq.,  for  many  acts  of  kindness.  The  facilities  he  has  afforded 
us  in  times  of  need  have  been  of  great  assistance  to  the  mis- 
sion, and  highly  appreciated  by  all  the  missionaries,  while  the 
friendly  intercourse  we  have  had  with  him  and  his  estimable 
family  is  one  of  the  pleasant  incidents  of  our  life  in  Egypt. 

(7)  Of  personal  friends  interested  in  our  welfare  and  our 
work,  none  come  to  our  mind  sooner  than  Dr.  J.  S.  Grant  Bey 
and  both  his  first  and  second  wife.  No  year  ever  passed,  from 
1865  until  his  death  in  1896,  without  our  being  under  obliaa- 
tions  to  him  for  professional  and  material  help.  His  constant 
attendance  at  our  English  services  during  all  these  years  and 
the  intimate  social  relations  existing  between  us  as  Christians 


470  The  American  Mission 

of  the  same  faith,  made  his  death  a  special  loss  to  the  mission, 
as,  indeed,  it  has  left  a  blank  in  Christian  circles  in  Cairo  which 
I  fear  will  not  soon  be  filled. 

Many  others  might  be  mentioned  did  space  permit.  It  is 
pleasant  to  note  that  many  passing  travelers  have  spontaneously 
contributed  in  aid  of  the  mission,  not  only  those  whose  ecclesi- 
astical forms  resemble  our  own,  but  not  a  few  from  the  evan- 
gelical party  of  the  Episcopal  Church  have  encouraged  us  with 
kind  words  and  generous  contributions,  proving  that  there  is  a 
bond  stronger  than  that  of  outward  forms  binding  Christians  to 
one  another. 


IN   tGYPT.  471 


Appendix. 


NECROLOGY   OF   THE   MISSION. 

Rev.  James  Barnett,  D.  D.,  was  the  son  of  Samuel  and 
Mary  (Mitchell)  Barnett,  and  was  born  in  Hanover,  Dauphin 
county,  Pennsylvania,  June  16,  1817.  His  parents  removed 
to  Ohio  when  their  son  James  was  one  year  old,  and  con- 
nected with  the  Associate  Reformed  church  of  Mt.  Pleasant, 
Butler  county,  of  which  Rev.  S.  P.  Magaw  was  pastor.  In 
this  congregation  James  Barnett  professed  his  faith  in  Christ  on 
April  6,  1836.  He  pursued  his  literary  studies  at  Miami  Univer- 
sity, Oxford,  Ohio,  and  was  graduated  there  in  1839.  He 
studied  theology  at  the  Associate  Reformed  Seminary  at  Ox- 
ford, attending  that  institution  four  terms  under  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Claybaugh,  D.  D.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  by 
the  first  presbytery  of  Ohio,  April,  1842.  He  traveled  over  three 
thousand  miles  in  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa  in  a  tour  of  mis- 
sionary prospecting.  He  was  chosen  missionary  to  Syria  by 
the  General  Synod  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church  at  its 
meeting  in  the  spring  of  1844,  was  ordained  by  his  presbytery 
July  23  of  the  same  year,  and  sailed  from  America  in  January, 

1845,  landing  at  Beirut,  Syria,  on  February  18,  1845.  After 
some  time  spent  in  the  study  of  the  language  and  prospecting 
the  country,  he  settled  down  for  mission  work  in  Damascus  in 

1846.  In  December,  1854,  he  removed  to  Egypt  and  with  Rev. 
Thomas  McCague,  D.  D.,  founded  the  American  Mission  in 
Cairo.     He  returned  to   America   in    1861   and   spent  nearly 


472  The  American  Mission 

four  years  among  the  churches  deepening  the  interest  in 
mission  work.  In  1863  he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Di- 
vinity from  Monmouth  College.  On  June  20,  1865,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Margaret  L.  Duff,  daughter  of  Rev.  J.  Duff,  and  with 
her  returned  to  Egypt  in  the  autumn  of  1865.  With  the  exception 
of  several  months  in  Asyut,  in  1866,  he  spent  the  rest  of  his 
missionary  life  in  Cairo,  Egypt.  He  remained  in  the  mission 
till  1875,  when,  on  account  of  ill  health  in  his  family,  he  with- 
drew from  the  mission  and  returned  to  America,  and  took  up 
his  residence  in  Emporia,  Kansas,  and  as  opportunity  offered 
and  health  permitted,  he  engaged  in  home  mission  work  until 
his  death,  on  October  2,  1884,  from  cystitis.  He  left  a  widow, 
two  sons  and  four  daughters  to  mourn  his  loss.  During  his 
foreign  mission  career  he  made  several  tours  through  the  Holy 
Land,  one  trip  to  Tadmar  and  one  to  Sinai.  He  wrote  fre- 
quently for  the  Church  papers  on  religious  and  missionary  sub- 
jects. He  left  an  extensive  diary  and  a  large  number  of  personal 
manuscripts.  He  was  a  man  of  extensive  reading,  of  more  than 
ordinary  intelligence,  retiring  disposition,  unflinching  adherence 
to  what  he  considered  truth,  and  indomitable  perseverance  and 
persistency.  Though  his  pronunciation  of  the  Arabic  language 
was  not  the  best,  nor  his  knowledge  of  that  language  very  ex- 
tensive, his  sermons  and  addresses  were  full  of  profitable  mat- 
ter, and  much  appreciated.  He  was  faithful  in  visiting  the  sick, 
and  kind  to  the  poor.  In  conversation  he  was  interesting,  as 
his  love  of  reading  and  travels  through  the  East  had  enabled 
him  to  store  up  in  his  mind  valuable  information.  Unconcerned 
about  his  own  personal  comfort,  and  deeply  interested  in  the 
extension  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  and  the  salvation  of  souls, 
he  was  well  qualified  to  be  a  pioneer  missionary  in  the  foreign 
field. 

Rev.  Ebenezer  Currie  was  born  at  Massie's  Creek, 
Greene  county,  Ohio,  February  10,  1834;  united  with  the 
Church  when  he  was  fifteen  years  old  ;  was  graduated  at  Miami 
1861,  and  studied  theology  at  Xenia,  Ohio;  was  licensed  June 
24,  1862,  by  Xenia  Presbytery,  and  ordained  October  8,  1863, 
by  the  same  ;  accepted  an  appointment  as  missionary  to  Eg\pt, 
and  sailed  with  his  wife  for  that  field  on  March  4,  1865,  and 


IN  Egypt.  473 

arrived  in  Alexandria  a  month  later.  He  was  located  in  Alex- 
andria for  a  time,  and  after  the  death  of  his  wife  he  spent  a  few 
months  in  Asyut.  His  missionary  career,  however,  was  con- 
nected for  the  most  part  with  Kus,  where  he  spent  several  years, 
and  was  held  in  high  esteem  and  affection  by  the  people.  He 
died  in  Alexandria,  October  18,  1869,  of  Syrian  fever,  contracted 
while  taking  a  short  vacation  in  Palestine.  He  was  a  man  of 
marked  piety,  of  retiring  disposition,  of  strong  sympathy  with 
the  persecuted  and  the  suffering,  of  high  consecration  to  the 
work  of  Christ,  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  and  yet  full  of  zeal 
in  behalf  of  truth  and  right.  On  one  occasion  he  was  on  his 
way  up  the  Nile,  and  his  boat  tied  up  for  an  hour  or  two  where 
there  were  other  boats.  While  sitting  on  the  deck,  he  noticed 
the  captain  of  another  boat  tying  a  slave  girl  to  the  mast  and 
commencing  to  beat  her  on  her  bare  body  with  a  stick.  His 
holy  ire  was  aroused  at  the  sight,  and  he  bounded  across  the 
boat  that  lay  between  them,  and  with  closed  fist  felled  the  cap- 
tain to  the  deck,  and  then  made  him  rise  and  untie  the  girl. 
The  man,  afraid  and  amazed,  instantly  obeyed.  No  one  who 
was  acquainted  with  Brother  Currie  in  his  usual  circumstances 
could  have  imagined  that  he  would  do  such  a  thing,  he  was  so 
humble,  peaceful  and  meek.  Does  not  this  act  remind  us  of 
Him  who  was  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  yet  with  holy  zeal 
drove  out  of  the  sacred  enclosure  those  whose  avarice  had  con- 
verted the  house  of  prayer  into  a  den  of  thieves  ?  Dr.  Scouller 
fittingly  says  of  him  :  **  Nature,  culture  and  grace  had  specially 
fitted  him  for  the  missionary  work." 

Mrs.  Nettie  Currie,  daughter  of  Walter  and  Ann  Parry, 
was  born  March  20,  1837,  five  miles  east  of  Xenia,  Ohio ;  united 
with  the  Church  of  Cedarville  in  1853;  was  married  to  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Currie  on  July  8,  1863,  and  accompanied  him  to  Egypt 
in  1865.  She  died  at  Alexandria,  March  6,  1866,  leaving  a  de- 
voted husband  and  a  sweet  babe  a  few  days  old.  She  was 
lively,  zealous,  intelligent,  bright,  deeply  pious,  a  woman  who 
was  adored  by  her  husband,  beloved  by  all,  with  bright  pros- 
pects of  usefulness. 

Miss  S.  B.  Dales  was  the  daughter  of  Hugh  and  Margaret 
Dales,  was  born  July  20,  1820,  near  Moscow,  Livingston  county. 


474  The  American  Mission 

New  York;  united  with  the  Associate  Reformed  Church  in 
Philadelphia  1842,  and  sailed  for  the  Damascus  mission,  Syria, 
September  30,  1854.  For  a  time  she  was  successfully  engaged 
in  a  girls'  school  in  that  ancient  city,  and  then  removed  to 
Egypt,  reaching  Alexandria  on  May  28,  1858.  Here  she  con- 
ducted with  great  success  a  girls'  school,  the  pupils  of  which 
were  mostly  Jewesses,  until  the  autumn  of  1861,  when  she  was 
transferred  to  Cairo  and  worked  eificiently  among  the  girls  and 
women  of  that  city  for  many  years.  She  became  the  second 
wife  of  Rev.  Dr.  Lansing  in  1867,  and  continued  to  take  a  deep 
interest  in  the  mission  work  up  to  her  death  on  November  26, 
1889.  She  was  a  woman  of  fine  mind,  warm  heart,  an  inter- 
esting writer,  of  great  zeal  in  the  service  of  her  Saviour  and  in 
the  work  of  saving  souls. 

Miss  Mary  E  .  Galloway  was  the  daughter  of  Rev. 
Jonathan  Galloway  of  tlie  Associate  Reformed  Church  of  the 
South;  was  educated  at  Due  West,  S.  C;  sailed  for  Egypt 
under  appointment  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Synod  of  the 
South,  but  to  work  in  union  with  the  United  Presbyterian  mis- 
sion ;  was  located  in  Monsurah  until  her  marriage  with  Rev. 
John  Giffen,  in  1876;  then  for  a  short  time  she  lived  in  Alex- 
andria and  removed  with  her  husband  to  Asyut  where  she  took 
an  active  share  in  the  mission  work  until  her  death,  in  Cairo, 
on  October  16,  1881.  She  was  a  woman  of  more  than  ordinary 
talent,  vivacious,  zealous,  ever  active  in  the  work  to  which  she 
had  consecrated  her  life. 

Miss  Sarah  Hart  was  the  youngest  of  five  children  born 
to  Jewish  parents  in  Hull,  England.  Her  birth  was  in  1832. 
She  became  a  Christian  principally  through  the  influence  of  her 
sister  who  had  embraced  Christianity,  and  who  was  earnest 
and  zealous  in  making  known  to  her  friends  the  only  way  of 
salvation  through  Jesus  Christ.  Her  youngest  sister,  Sarah, 
was  the  only  one  of  the  family  who  gave  evidence  of  being  im- 
pressed by  her  teaching,  and  she,  after  encountering  many 
difficulties,  was  baptized  on  June  7,  1857,  by  the  Rev.  John 
Dick,  of  the  Church  of  England,  in  Hull.  She  was  immedi- 
ately turned  out  of  home  by  the  mother,  but  through  friends 
she  obtained  a  situation  as  governess  in  England,  and  after- 


IN  EGYPT.  475 

wards  went  out  to  Egypt  in  connection  witli  a  mission  to  the 
Jews  carried  on  by  Mr.  Reiciiart.  Wliiie  laboring  in  tiie  work 
she  became  acquainted  with  the  American  missionaries  in 
Cairo  and  joined  them  in  April,  1861.  She  remained  in  this 
connection  faithful  and  earnest  in  her  work  in  the  schools  and 
the  houses  of  the  people  until  June  28,  1869,  when  she  was 
burned  to  death  by  the  explosion  of  kerosene  oil.  She  was  a 
woman  of  earnest  piety,  of  good  mental  ability,  of  intelligent 
activity  in  her  work,  and  a  humble  follower  of  the  Messiah 
whom  she  loved. 

REV.  JOHN  HOGG,  D.  D.,  was  born  April  30,  1833,  at 
Gladsmuir,  Haddingtonshire,  Scotland,  and  united  with  the 
church  at  fifteen  years  of  age;  was  graduated  at  the  Edinburgh 
University  in  1853  ;  studied  theology  in  the  United  Presbyter- 
ian Hall  until  1856,  when  he  went  out  under  a  Scottish  society 
to  open  a  school  for  boys  in  Alexandria,  Egypt;  returned  to 
Scotland  in  1859  and  finished  his  theological  course  and  was 
licensed  in  November,  1859,  by  the  United  Presbyterian  Pres- 
bytery of  Edinburgh ;  accepted  an  appointment  as  missionary 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America,  and  re- 
turned to  Alexandria  and  Cairo  for  some  years.  But  the  field 
of  his  active  and  successful  labors  was  the  upper  country  with 
Asyut  as  a  center.  While  living  he  had  a  large  share  in  every 
department  of  the  mission  work.  Through  his  energy  and 
tact  were  laid  broad  and  deep  the  foundation  of  primary  and 
higher  education  in  upper  Egypt,  andthe  work  of  evangelization 
was  pushed  forward  by  him  with  the  utmost  energy.  He  left 
many  unpublished  manuscripts,  a  list  of  which  may  be  found 
in  Dr.  ScouUer's  Manual.  He  died  on  February  27,  1886,  re- 
spected by  all,  beloved  by  thousands.  I  have  spoken  of  his 
character  at  length  in  Chapter  XXVI. 

Dr.  D.  R.  Johnston,  the  son  of  Rev.  J.  B.  Johnston, 
D.  D.,  was  born  in  Northwood,  O.,  August  21,  1842;  was 
educated  at  Geneva  College  ;  was  the  first  of  his  community 
to  volunteer  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Union  in  Company  K., 
of  the  17th  Ohio  regiment.  After  the  war  he  studied  medicine 
and  graduated  at  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago ;  was  married 
to  Miss  Margaret  Stewart,  and  went  to  Egypt  as  a  medical 


476  The  American  Mission 

missionary  in  1868.  He  was  located  in  Asyut,  took  a  lively 
interest  in  the  training  of  young  men,  and  was  elected  the  first 
president  of  Asyut  College,  but  went  to  America  the  same  year 
and  never  returned.  He  spent  some  years  in  Mansfield  as 
druggist  and  physician,  and  then  removed  to  Aledo,  111.,  and 
pursued  the  same  profession.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  re- 
ligious and  church  affairs  and  was  a  member  of  the  school  board 
of  Aledo,  and  a  member  of  the  senate  of  Monmouth  College  for 
years  before  his  death.  He  died  trusting  in  the  Saviour,  on 
February  20,  1897,  leaving  a  widow  and  a  son,  as  well  as  other 
relatives  to  mourn  his  loss. 

Rev.  G.  Lansing,  D.  D.,  was  bom  on  February  i,  1825, 
at  Lishaskill,  Albany  county,  N.  Y.,  was  graduated  at  Union 
College  in  1848  and  studied  theology  at  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  was 
licensed  May  22,  1850,  by  the  presbytery  of  New  York,  and 
having  accepted  an  appointment  as  missionary  to  Syria  by  the 
Synod  of  New  York,  was  ordained  August  7,  1850,  and  sailed 
on  the  12th  of  the  following  December ;  continued  as  mission- 
ary in  Damascus  until  his  removal  to  Egypt  in  1856,  and  re- 
mained in  connection  with  the  American  mission  until  his  death 
on  September  12,  1892.  He  was  located  first  at  Alexandria, 
but  removed  to  Cairo  in  the  autumn  of  i85i,  and  remained  at 
that  station  to  the  end  of  his  life.  He  was  one  of  the  chief  fac- 
tors in  the  mission  whether  as  preacher,  professor,  writer, 
counselor,  as  will  be  seen  by  any  reader  of  this  history.  The 
central  premises  of  the  mission  in  Cairo  are  a  monument  of  his 
faith  and  his  works,  for  though  others  shared  in  the  collection 
of  the  funds  and  in  the  erection  of  the  building,  no  one  will 
deny  that  the  plan  was  his  conception,  and  to  his  tact  and  perse- 
verance we  are  indebted  to  securing  its  completion.  His  letters 
in  the  Church  papers  and  in  the  monthlies  and  quarterlies  were 
always  interesting  and  profitable.  I  have  written  at  length 
about  him  when  speaking  of  his  death  in  Chapter  XXIII.  His 
mortal  remains  lie  in  the  American  cemetery  at  Old  Cairo, 
waiting  by  the  side  of  his  co-laborers  for  the  resurrection 
morn. 

Mrs.  Maria  Oliver  Lansing,  first  wife  of  Rev.  Gulian 

Lapsing,  D.  D.,  was  born  at  Lishaskill,  Albany  county,  New 
York  ;  was  married  to  Dr.  Lansing  in  August,  1S50,  and  sailed 


IN  Egypt.  477 

with  him  on  December  12,  1850,  for  Syria ;  removed  to  Egypt 
in  1856,  and  died  of  cholera  in  Cairo,  July  5,  1865.  Her 
youngest  son,  Vischer,  died  the  same  day,  and  was  buried  in 
the  same  grave.  She  left  three  other  sons  with  her  bereaved 
husband.  She  was  a  dutiful  wife,  a  devoted  mother,  a  humble, 
quiet,  and  unpretentious  woman,  and  a  meek  and  lowly  Christ- 
ian, performing  all  the  duties  of  her  different  relations  in  life 
with  faithfulness  and  profit.  Much  beloved  by  all  her  friends, 
and  especially  so  by  those  who  were  made  orphans  by  the  ter- 
rible massacre  in  Damascus  in  the  year  i860,  and  to  some  of 
whom  she  opened  her  home  and  cared  for  them  with  a  motherly 
love,  and  some  of  whom  became  afterwards  useful  laborers  in 
the  mission  service. 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Lansing,  son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gulian 
and  Maria  Oliver  Lansing,  was  born  in  Cairo,  Egypt,  on  the  i6th 
of  August,  1861.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1873.  After  en- 
joying the  benefit  of  a  common  school  at  Lishaskill,  New  York, 
he  attended  the  classical  institute  at  Schenectady,  and  subse- 
quently completed  a  course  of  study  at  the  Troy  (New  York) 
academy.  In  1881  he  entered  the  Albany  Medical  College,  and 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  March,  1884.  About  the  year 
1876  he  made  a  profession  of  faith  in  Christ  and  united  with 
the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church  in  Lishaskill.  Soon  after  com- 
pleting his  medical  studies,  he  accepted  an  appointment  by  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
as  a  medical  missionary  to  Egypt.  On  the  20th  of  March, 
1884,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Hattie  E.  Arnold,  of 
West  Troy,  New  York,  and  on  the  i6th  of  April  following  they 
sailed  from  Philadelphia  for  the  mission  to  which  they  had  been 
appointed.  For  a  time  they  were  engaged  in  the  medical  work 
in  connection  with  the  mission.  In  1888  Dr.  Lansing  ceased  to 
labor  especially  as  a  medical  missionary,  but  continued  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  the  city  of  Cairo.  He  died  on  the  ist 
of  June,  1893,  and  his  body  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery 
beside  his  father  and  mother. 

Miss  M.  G.  LOCKHART  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Sep- 
tember 19,  1852,  united  with  the  Church  at  Andes,  New  York, 
when  only  thirteen  years  of  age ;  was  educated  at  the  college 


478  The  American  Mission 

institute  of  Andes ;  accepted  an  appointment  as  missionary  to 
Egypt  and  sailed  for  that  field  September  26,  1874  ;  labored  for 
the  most  part  in  the  school  at  Asyut  and  returned  broken  down 
in  health  in  1878  and  resided  with  her  mother  at  Barboursville, 
Virginia,  until  her  death,  June  6,  1882.  She  had  a  delicate  con- 
stitution, was  cultured  and  retiring  in  her  manner,  made  con- 
siderable progress  in  the  language,  and  was  beginning  to  be 
useful  in  mission  work  when  she  was  compelled  by  ill  health  to 
leave  the  field.     "  God's  ways  are  in  the  deep," 

Rev.  a.  M.  Nichol  was  born  March  13,  1846,  near  Fair- 
view,  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  was  graduated  at  Monmouth  in 
187 1  ;  studied  theology  at  Allegheny  and  Monmouth  ;  was 
licensed  April  15,  1873,  by  Rock  Island  presbytery,  and  being 
appointed  to  the  foreign  field  was  ordained  by  the  same.  He 
sailed  for  Egypt,  April  18,  1874,  and  remained  in  Asyut  for  a 
short  time,  and  then  was  located  in  Monsurah  until,  on  account 
of  ill  health  he  was  compelled  to  return  to  America,  where  he 
died  on  July  20,  1887.  On  account  of  bodily  weakness,  he  was 
not  able  for  vigorous  work,  but  did  what  he  could  in  the  mis- 
sion field  to  testify  to  the  Saviour's  love  and  invite  sinners  to 
trust  Him  for  salvation. 

Mrs.  Laura  Katharine  Nichol  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Pittsburg,  on  the  3d  of  January,  1865.  Ker  parents  were  Simon 
and  Joanna  Herget.  They  were  identified  with  a  German 
Evangelical  Church  in  Allegheny  City,  the  minister  of  which, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Lehman,  baptized  Laura.  Her  parents  removing 
to  Allegheny,  she  attended  the  ward  school,  and  subsequently 
taught  in  the  public  school  of  the  same  ward.  When  quite 
young  she  attended  the  Sabbath  school  of  the  Second  United 
Presbyterian  church,  and  subsequently,  at  an  early  age,  en- 
tered that  church  by  a  profession  of  her  faith,  under  the  minis- 
try of  the  Rev,  Dr.  W.  H.  McMillan,  On  the  12th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1889,  she  was  united  in  marriage  with  the  Rev.  William 
M,  Nichol,  and  having  accepted  an  appointment  of  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  to  the  field  in  Egypt,  they  sailed  from  New 
York  on  the  i6th  of  October,  for  their  life  work  in  the  valley  of 
the  Nile.  Arriving  in  due  time,  they  together  entered  upon  the 
study  of  the  language,  Mrs.  Nichol  was  welcomed  by  all  in  the 
mission,  but  was  only  beginning  to  entwine  herself  in  their 


IN  Egypt.  479 

affections  when  the  Saviour  called  her  to  a  higher  sphere.  She 
died  on  the  17th  of  August,  1890,  greatly  lamented  not  only  by 
her  devoted  husband,  but  by  all  in  the  mission. 

Mrs.  Gemella  Strang  was  born  near  Pulaski,  Lawrence 
county,  Pennsylvania,  January  26,  1836.  Her  parents  were 
Hugh  and  Diodena  Cotton.  In  her  early  life  she  attended  the 
Neshannock  Presbyterian  Church,  near  New  Wilmington,  Pa. 
When  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  she  made  a  profession  of 
faith  and  united  with  the  Free  Presbyterian  Church,  under  the 
pastoral  care  of  the  Rev.  Wells  Bushnell.  At  the  age  of  twelve 
she  believed  herself  to  be  a  child  of  God,  and  wished  to  join  the 
Church.  She  was  dissuaded  from  this  by  friends,  who  thought 
it  better  for  her  to  delay  for  a  time.  Her  heart  was  certainly 
much  occupied  with  religious  things  in  her  early  life,  and  her 
mind  had  sometimes  been  directed  to  the  great  subject  of  mis- 
sions. Later  she  spent  some  time  in  Westminster  College.  On 
the  4th  of  July,  1861,  she  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mr, 
David  Strang.  He  was  for  a  time  in  the  Union  army,  and  was 
severely  wounded  in  one  of  the  battles.  Mrs.  Strang,  with 
heroic  devotion,  found  him  and  waited  upon  him  in  the  hospital 
in  Philadelphia.  After  the  war  Mr.  Strang  was  appointed  a  lay 
missionary  to  Egypt,  to  have  charge  specially  of  press  work  in 
the  mission.  Mrs.  Strang  gladly  went  with  him  to  his  field  of 
labor,  in  1866.  They  both  became  proficient  in  the  Arabic 
language.  In  1876  they  retired  from  the  work,  and  spent  some 
nineteen  years  in  charge  of  a  congregation  at  Lincoln,  Tennessee, 
Mr.  Strang  having  entered  the  Gospel  ministry.  In  the  provi- 
dence of  God,  he  was  led  to  return  to  Egypt  in  1895,  because 
of  the  illness  of  a  beloved  son.  Mrs.  Strang  followed  her  hus- 
band and  son  to  Egypt,  on  account  of  the  son's  continued  ill- 
ness. She  arrived  too  late.  Her  son  had  been  laid  in  the  grave 
ere  she  reached  the  country.  In  just  one  year  from  the  date  of 
her  arrival,  she  died  of  cholera,  which  was  then  epidemic  in  the 
country.  Her  death  occurred  on  the  6th  of  September,  1896. 
Mother  and  son  were  laid  side  by  side  in  Egyptian  graves. 

Mrs.  Strang  was  a  noble  woman.  The  whole  mission  and 
many  who  knew  her  in  this  country  mourned  sincerely  when 
she  was  removed  by  death. 


INDEX. 


ABD  ES  SHAHID,  Rev.,  pastor,  378. 

ABl-RDFiEN,  Lord,  119,  125. 

ABYSSINIA.  22. 

ADDRESS  of  Barnett  and  McCague.  38. 

AGRICULTURE,  466. 

AHMID  FARNY,  305-311. 

ALEXANDER,  J.  R.,  339.  377. 

ALEXANDRIA,  work  begun,  86;  Lan- 
sing's labors,  92;  other  workers,  93; 
first  communion,  115;  alarm  in.  151; 
premises  purchased,  152;  native  con- 
gregation organized,  261 ;  appointed 
to,  Rev.  B.  F.  Pinkerton  and  A\iss 
Gregory,  263,  284;  accessions,  304; 
bombardment,  348. 

ALEXANDRIAN  Church,  14. 

ANSHALIAN,  Rev.  G.,  377:  martyrdom 
of,  404. 

ANTES  JOHN,  23;  robbed  by  Mame- 
lukes, 23-28. 

ARABI  Rebellion,  340-352. 

ARMENIA,  cruelties  in,  403.  404. 

ASHENHURST,  Rev.  and  wife,  work  on 
the  Nile,  389,  390;  in  America,  403. 

ASYUT,  Lansing  arrives  in  the  "  Ibis," 
134;  occupied,  177;  Mr.  Hogg  and 
Miss  McKown  there,  177;  leave  As- 
yut,  185;  return  to  Asyut,  18;;  Mr. 
Fi.  leaves,  192;  Dr.  Barnett  and  Miss 
McKown  arrive,  192;  Dr.  Lansing  and 
Mr.  Currie  dispense  supper  first 
time,  192 ;  work  prosperous.  19^ ;  per- 
secutions at,  225-234;  Miss  McKown's 
school,  238;  work  in  1867.  242;  the 
word  mighty,  259;  dedication  services, 
293,  294;  progress,  298;  Dr.  Hogg, 
Mr.  Strang  and  Ibrahim  Yusif  labor 
here,  316;  accessions,  390. 

ATHANASIUS,  14. 

ATHANASIUS,  the  Copt,  245-247. 

AWAD  Salih  dies,  287. 

Barnett,  34, 62,  69  -,  enters  Eg>'pt.  70 ; 
first  missionary,  71 ;  prayer,  77 :  goes 
home,  124;  at  Asyut,  186,  189;  ap- 
pointed to  book  department,  262; 
Cairo,  263,  267;  goes  to  Europe,  286; 
returns,  286;  wife  ill,  286;  stcetch  of 
his  life,  471.  472. 

Bashai  Makhiel,  pastor.  377. 


Barr,  Dr.  W.  W.,  visits  Egypt,  355. 
356. 

BEVERIDGE,  T.  H.,  67. 

BIBLE,  Abyssinian,  31 ;  purchased  by 
Jouet,  32. 

BIBLES,  sold,  92, 108,  109,  118,  126,  148, 
163. 

BISHETLY  case,  231-234. 

BOOK  department,  428-435. 

BOOK  distribution,  85. 

BRITISH  in  Egvpt,  467,  468. 

BROWN,  Miss  Grace,  426. 

Buchanan,  Carrie,  426. 

BULAK  School,  Miss  R  Gregorv',  teach- 
er, 261. 

CAIRO,  38.  61,  63,  64;  beginning  work, 
72;  English  service  in,  74,  75;  prem- 
ises in,  109;  first  communion,  no; 
girls'  school,  117;  school  building  re- 
paired, 139;  accessions,  162;  Mr. 
Hogg  and  Mr.  Ewing  here,  192 ;  Dr. 
Barnett,  pastor,  193;  work  under 
Drs.  Barnett  and  Lansing,  Mrs.  Lan- 
sing, Miss  Hart  and  Mr.  Strang  pros- 
perous, 238;  fasting,  286;  mission 
property  sold,  287-289 ;  new  site,  290, 
291.  304,  311-314;  English  service,  381. 

CARSON,  Ralph  E.,  Rev.,  427. 

CEMETERY,  new,  314. 

CHOLERA.  76.  182,  184,  353,  354,  404. 

CHRISTIANITY  introduced,  11,  13;  its 
decline,  15.  17. 

CHRISTIANS  persecuted,  16;  by  Coptic 
clergy,  153. 

CHURCH  FRANCIS,  67. 

CHURCH  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY.  31; 
work  begun,  31-34;  Rev.  J.  R.  T. 
Leider,  missionary,  72. 

CONGREGATION  organized   in   Cairo. 

CONNER,  Miss,  347. 

CONTRIBUTIONS,  decline  of  in  1863, 150. 

COPTS,  12,  16,  17,  20;  Jouet's  work 
among,  31 ;  habits  of,  S4 ;  origin  of, 
53;  religion  of,  5^;  clergy,  56;  con- 
verts, 56;  memorize  psalms.  t^G;  con- 
fessional, 57;  ignorant,  59;  persecute, 
199-21 1,  292,  293;  327-337;  character 
413. 


COURTS,  46^. 

CRIMEAN  War,  79. 

CURRIE,  at  Ratnleh.  185;  appointed  to 

Asyut,  186;  at  Alexandria.  189.  1Q7; 

at'Kus,  273;  his  death,  278;  sketch 

of  his  life,  472,  473- 
CURRIE,  A\rs.,  death,  190;   sketch  of 

her  hfe,  473. 
CYRIL,  14. 

DALES,  J.  B.,  D.  D.,  with  A\rs.  Dales 
visits  Egvpt,  Its;  death  of,  401.  402. 

Dales,  Miss  S.  B.,  67 ;  takes  charge  of 
girl's  school  in  Alexandria.  q8 ;  at 
Cairo.  124,  162;  leaves  for  America, 
175;  at  Cairo,  189;  sketch  of  her  life, 

473.  474- 

DICKEY,  Miss  Cora  B.,  426. 

EASTER,  14. 

EGYPT,  Government,  35;  American  iWis- 

sion.  beginning  of,  61. 
"EGYPT'S  Princes."  174. 
EWIN(i,  Rev.  S.  C, with  his  wife  reaches 

Alexandria,  112,  122;  at  Alexandria, 

150;  at  Cairo,  1^0;  in  America.  239; 

returns.  261 ;  chosen  pastor  of  Cairo, 

263,  28s;  at  Kus,  299;  at  Alexandria, 

346-348,  403. 
EwiNG,  Mrs.,  has  cholera.  183,  184; 

goes  to  America,  186;   returns,  261. 
EXPORTS,  467. 

FAM,  Benjamin,  pastor,  378. 

FAM.  Stephanos,    his  character,  212; 

attempted  banishment,  212-224,  240; 

his  death,  39^. 
FAIYUM,    Lansing    and  Harvey  begin 

work.  191 :  Ewing.  19^ ;  Harvey.  260, 

267;    Lansing   and  A\iss  Thompson 

visit,  316. 
Faris-el-Hakim,   127:    abused,   129; 

overruled  for  good,  135. 
FINNEY.  Miss  M.,425. 
FINNEY,  Rev.  T.  J.,  engages  in  work  on 

the  Nile.  389.  42^. 
FRAZIER,  joins  Barnett  and  Paulding  in 

request  for  station  at  Cairo,  67. 
FRIENDS,  special,  467-470. 

Galloway.  Miss  M.  E.,  303;  married, 

3^2 ;  sketch  of  lier  life.  414. 
GIFFEN,  Rev.  E.  M..426. 
GIFFEN,  Rev.  John.  339;  returns  from 

America,  3^2;  married,  352,  377;  on 

the  Nile,  380. 
GIFFEN,  Mrs.  Mary  E.,  died,  339. 
GIFFEN.  Rev.  J.  K..  evangelizing  along 

the  Nile,  380;  at  Taiita.  424. 
GIRGIS.  Raphail.  a  Plymouthite.  2^9. 
Gordon,  expedition  to  rescue,  369,  370. 
GOVERNMENT,  463. 
GRACEY.  Robert.  67. 
GREGORY,  Miss.  194;  at  Alexandria, 

239,  261,  263,  274,  27=;. 
"GUIDE",  the,  392,  393. 


Hale,  Mr..  Consul  General,  221. 

HanNA.  Awad.  81.  189. 

Hanna  Buktor,  252-259;  pictures  de- 
stroyed, 268-270. 

Hanna,  Bishai,  pastor  of  Minya,  377. 

Hart,  Miss,  175;  at  Cairo,  189,  239, 
263;  death,  266,  27t;  sketch,  474. 

HART,  REV.  S.  G.,  426. 

HARVEY.  Rev.  W.  and  wife,  arrived  at 
Alexandria,  187,  189;  at  Sinoris.  291 ; 
at  Kus,  299;  good  work  in  the  Fai- 
vum,  316. 

Harvey,  Rev.  W.  Annie,  died,  316;  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  depart  for  America,  316;  suc- 
cessful work,  316 ;  on  the  Nile,  380, 
389,  42:. 

HOGG,  Mrs.  J.  J.,  426. 

HOGG,  John,  arrives  at  Alexandria.  93 ; 
guest  of  Lansing,  94;  goes  to  Scot- 
land, 108;  appointed,  iii;  in  Egypt 
in  i860,  112;  teaching  in  Cairo,  139; 
tour  on  the  Nile,  140;  Mrs.  Hogg  has 
an  attack  of  smallpox.  149;  A'Vr.  H. 
visits  the  Faiyum.  173;  translates 
Patterson  on  the  Catechism,  174; 
goes  to  Scotland,  186;  at  Cairo.  189; 
at  Asyut,  197,  198  ;  at  Cairo,  263  ;  at 
Asyut,  298,  360-364;  sickness  and 
death  of,  372,  377 ;  sketch  of  his 
life.  47=;. 

HOGG.  Marv  Lizzie  dies.  181. 

HOOKER.  Frederick  William,  20:  in 
Cairo.  21,  22.  28  ;  in  Constantinople, 
22 ;  in  Alexandria,  22 ;  returns  to  Ger- 
many. 22. 

"  IBIS."  118,  125,  135,  173,  195,  364,  379, 

389. 
IBRAHIM  Moosa  professes  Christ,  260. 
IBRAHIM  Tanyus.  pastor.  377. 
IBRAHIM  Yusif  called  to  Cairo,  261,  266, 

284;  died.  382. 
ICONOCLASM,  268-270. 
I.MPORTS,  466. 

JEWS,  the  early  preachers,  12. 
JOHNSTON.  Dr.  D.  R.  and  wife,  243; 

labors,  300;  illness,  301 ;  death  of  his 

son.  301. 
JOWET,  Rev.  W.,  31. 

KHARTU.M.  fall  of.  370. 

KRUIDENIER.  Rev.  J.  and  family  in 
America.  403. 

KlLS,  work  there,  193;  church  organ- 
ized. 194. 

KYLE,  A\iss  E.  O.,  426. 

LANSING.  Gulian,  62.  86;  begins  work 
in  Egypt,  8=;;  ascends  the  Nile,  87; 
visits  Damascus.  91 ;  visits  the  gal- 
leys, 117;  broken  down.  139;  his  last 
dollar,  mo;  aids  a  Frenchman.  1^2; 
visits  the  Delta,  i';;;  A\rs.  L.  and 
child  die  of  cholera,  184 ;  Dr.  L.  at- 


tacked  at  Ramleh,  i86-,  marries  Miss 
Dales,  193 ;  persecutions  at,  225-234 ; 
U.  S.  government's  indifference  trou- 
bles him,  238;  the  work,  242;  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lansing  in  Syria  and  Scot- 
land, 260;  Cairo,  263;  goes  with  his 
wife  to  America,  286,  360-364;  ill, 
377;  wife  dies,  383;  burial,  384; 
death  of  Dr.  L.,  397-401 ;  sketch  of 
his  life,  476. 

Lansing,  Elmer  Ellsworth,  sketch  of 
his  life,  477. 

LANSING,  Mrs.  M.  O.,  sketch  of  her 
life,  476,  477. 

KYLE,  Miss,  at  Asvut,  352. 

LAURENCE,  Dr.,  425. 

Laurie,  the  Rev.,  missionary  to  Jews 
at  Cairo,  72. 

LEIDER,  the  Rev.  J.  R.  T.,  34,  72. 

LICENTIATES,  410. 

LOCKHART,  Miss  M.  G.,  477,  478. 

LYDE,  Rev.  Samuel,  120. 

MCCAGUE,  John  L.,  84. 

MCCAGUE,  Henrietta  M.,  66,  68,  69,  70, 
73,  118. 

MCCAGUE,  Mary  Barnett,  dies,  113. 

MCCAGUE,  the  Rev.  Thomas,  34,  64, 
65,  66;  ordained,  67 ;  landed  at  Ale.x- 
andria,  68 ;  preaches,  87 ;  returns  to 
America,  124;  back  to  Egypt,  124, 
287;  visits  tlie  missions,  379. 

MCDOWELL,  L.  J.,  424. 

MCFARLAND,  Rev.  K.  W.,  at  Alexan- 
dria, 424. 

MCMILLEN,  Miss  A.,  424. 

MAHARAJAH  Dhulup  Singh,  163;  mar- 
ries Bamba,  171. 

Makhiel  Hanein,  died,  260. 

A\AKHIEL,  converted,  102,  ir6, 193;  pas- 
tor, 194:  died,  365. 

MCKOWN,  Miss,  at  Asyut,  177,  185, 
189,  192,  198;  goes  home,  262;  re- 
turns, 278 ;  the  end,  402. 

MAMELUKES,  73- 

Mark,  tradition  of,  12. 

MARTIN,  the  Rev.  O.  F.,  73,  74,  92. 

"MARTIN  Memorial  Hall,"  395. 

MEDICAL  department,  394. 

MEMBERSHIP,  its  character,  411-419. 

MINISTRY,  learning  young  men  for,  156. 

MINYA,  work  begun,  267. 

MISSION,  American,  established.  61-70, 
94;  force  reduced,  161;  condition  of, 
1870-1875,  279;  stations  in  1870,  280; 
appointed  to,  300;  success  of,  30c; 
condition,  1875-1880,  302;  new  mis- 
sionaries, 303;  new  pastorates,  326; 
new  organizations,  326;  a  time  of 
trial,  1875-1880,  327;  statistics,  1880- 
1885,  338;  churches  organized,  366; 
statistics,  1885-1890,  367;  mission- 
ary force,  368,  371;  organizations, 
378;  statistics,  1890-1895,  386;  new 
missionaries,  388 ;  new  pastorates, 


388 ;  new  organizations,  388 ;  pros- 
perity, 390;  new  missionaries,  403; 
new  pastors  and  new  congregations, 
403;  districts,  406;  statistics  up  to 
Jan.  I,  1897,  406. 

A\ISSION,  Dutch,  407. 

MISSION,  North  African.  407. 

MISSION,  Scottish,  to  the  Jews,  94, 407. 

MISSION,  Society  Church,  407. 

MISSIONARY  Association  organized, 
281 ;  constitution  of,  282;  meets,  284 ; 
work  of,  284,  408,  411. 

MISSIONARIES,  early,  11,  13. 

MISSIONARIES,  Moravian,  in  Egypt, 
19,  23,  28,  29,  30. 

MONSURAH,  194,  264,  286,  304. 

"MORNING  STAR,"  new  Nile  boat,  158, 

173- 

MUHAMMEDANISM,  in  Egypt,  41 ;  doc- 
trines of,  42,  43,  44 ;  duties  of,  45-50; 
spirit  of,  51. 

MUHAMMEDANS,  movement  among, 
360,  363. 

MUIR,  Mr.,  gives  aid,  238. 

MULLER,  Bamba,  confesses  Christ,  159. 

MURCH,  the  Rev.  Chauncey,  in  Upper 
Thebaid,  379;  down  the  Nile,  381, 
389,  425. 

MURCH,  Mrs.,  381. 

MUTIAH,  organized,  297. 

Nakheilah,    Presbytery   meets,    284; 

pastor  installed,  294 ;  situation,  295 ; 

success,  295. 
NEWLIN,  Miss  E.  E.,  352. 
NlCENE  Council,  14. 
NICHOL,  Rev.  A.  M..  at  Luxor,  390, 

426;  sketch  of  his  life,  478. 
NICHOL,  Mrs.  A.   M..  death  of,   396; 

sketch  of  her  life,  478. 
NILE,  missionating  on, 140;  work  in  1875, 

318,  360-364,  388,  389,  405. 

PAISLEY  Society,  98. 

PASHA,  Said,  gives  lot  in  Cairo,  138. 

PASTORS,  native,  409. 

PAULDING,  Dr.,  34,  61-63. 

PERSECUTED  Christians,  13;  by  Mus- 
lims, 16;  by  Copts,  199-211,  212-238. 

PETER,  in  Egvpt,  12. 

PHILIP.  Rev  Dr.  Herman,  93. 

PINKERTON,  at  Cairo,  187,  189;  in 
charge  of  bank  department  at  Cairo, 
193;  at  Alexandria,  239,  263;  adopts 
strange  views,  274;  dismissed,  276; 
returns,  357. 

PLYMOUTHISM,  274-277,  287;  acces- 
sions, 358;  opposed,  358. 

POLYGAMY.  52. 

PREACHERS,  local.  410. 

PRESBYTERY,  organized,  112;  business 
in  Arabic,  295 ;  work  of,  408. 

PRESSLY.  J.  T..  D.  D.,  65,  66. 

PRESTLEY,  James,  D.  D.,  visits  Egypt, 
155. 


m 


PRINGLE.  Miss,  her  school  in  Alexan- 

drin.  9^.  98. 
pro\  inces,  464,  465. 

Railways,  467. 

RAMLEH,  3^4. 
REBELLION,  79. 

Reed,  W.  h..  Rev..  425. 
Religions  of  Es^ypt.  40. 
Rule,  Mr.,  resigns,  301. 

Sabbath-Keeping  revival,  272,  273. 
Sa'ID  Abdulla.  285. 
Salaries.  411. 
sanitarium.  107. 
SCHLOTTHAUR,  colporteur,  262. 
SCHOOLS,  412. 

SCHOOLS.  Sabbath,  43s,  436.  444-4^7. 
SCHOOL,  boys'  at  Alexandria,  99,  114. 
SCHOOL,  building  in  Cairo.  139. 
SCHOOL,  girls'  at  Alexandria,  98,  114. 
SECTS  in  tgypt  in  i8:;4,  59. 
SEMINARY.   Theological,  opened,  174; 
class.  243,  411,  457-462. 

SHENOODA,  245-251. 

SICKNESS  of  Missionaries.  83.  107. 

SINORIS,  good  work,  260.  267;  Dr. 
Harvey  removes  to,  291 ;  Mrs.  H. 
opens  school,  congregation  organ- 
ized, 292;  Dr.  H.  builds  church,  292; 
opened,  316;  Shenooda  Hanna,  pas- 
tor. 316. 

SLAVERY  in  Egvpt,  51,  52,  297. 

SMITH.  Miss  M..  381.425 

SOCIETY  in  Egypt.  38. 

SOWASH.  Rev.  George  A.,  424. 

STEWART,  Robert.  D.  D.,  visits  Egypt, 
3^5.  366-.  married.  356. 

STRANG.  Rev.  D.,  and  family,  arrive 
at  Cairo,  193;  goes  to  Asyut.  197; 
removes  with  press  to  Alexandria, 
277;  returns,  426. 


STRANG,  Mrs  ,  sick.  239;  death,  405; 

sketch  of  her  life,  479. 
SUFT.  Dr.  Harvev's  work  in.  292. 
SYNOD,  General,  its  action,  64. 

TADROS,  Yusif,  pastor,  294. 
TADROS,    Abu    Zaglanay,    converted, 

295 ;  dies,  297. 
Teas,  AMss  Dorcas.  426. 
THAYER,  the  Hon.  W.  S.,  133. 
THEMISTIUS  denies  Christ's  divinity, 

15- 
THOMPSON,  Miss  A.  Y.,  426. 
THOMPSON,  Dr.  Joseph  P.,  34. 

Watson,  Andrew  and  wife,  arrive  at 
Alexandria,  135:  both  sick,  149;  their 
child,  George  Andrew,  dies.  149;  on 
Ibis,  189;  in  America,  239;  return, 
261 ;  at  Monsurah,  262 ;  at  Cairo, 
289;  goes  up  the  Nile,  352,  353;  sick, 
377,  425. 

WATSON,  Mrs.,  sick,  382;  goes  to 
America,  382. 

WHITE.  J.  P.,  M.  D.,425. 

WOOLSELEY,  General,  369  ;  expedition 
to  save  Gordon,  370;  Nile  expedi- 
tionary force  return,  370. 

WATSON,  M.  D..  425. 

WIEMGER,  Moravian  missionary,  28, 
29. 

WOM.AN  in  Egvpt,  53. 

WORKERS,  native,  408-411. 

WORKiiRS.  foreign.  420-423. 

WYLIE,  ^\.,  67. 

YOUNG.  Alexander  66. 
YUSIF,  Gabrail,  pastor,  378. 

ZENANA  work,  436-443. 

Zinzendorf,  Count,  22 


IV 


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